Management in any field is a process with a great learning curve. While some people are blessed with inherent management skills, not everyone can be a specialist without practical training.

IT Management can be a hard task because there are a lot of things that the manager needs to take care of. A simple IT project has numerous goals, priorities and activities that have to be in sync with each other. These things are important for the project and the workforce to carry on smoothly. However, these are also things that most people learn on-the-job. The following are 5 most common things that rookie IT managers tend to miss:

1. Homework is Important – Hiring a rookie manager on any project – be it big or small – is full of risks. However, this becomes doubly true when the project is for an important vendor or client. But this situation can be easily countered if the IT manager learns to do their homework properly on the project they are going to lead. The type of work and the knowledge related to that work can be gained from previous similar projects or with the help of other more experienced managers.

2. Executive Buy-In – Before any project is undertaken, the executives and stakeholders’ buy-in needs to be obtained because ultimately, they are the ones who would be making key decisions related to the project. Also, obtaining their buy-in is important because the IT manager would need their support throughout and it would make resource allocation and prioritization so much easier. Thus, the IT manager should ensure that the executives get constant updates throughout the life of the project and obtains their buy-in beforehand.

3. Importance of Regular Communication – Communication is the blood of IT and the IT manager should ensure that every project has an environment where communication flows easily and effortlessly. Challenges, updates and feedback related to the work being performed should be discussed freely and the IT manager can schedule meetings for the same. Also, an internal forum can be set up by the manager so that all forms of official communications can be tracked.

4. Well Written Scope of Work – The scope of work defines and directs the entire team throughout individual projects and is important for smooth sailing. However, if the scope is written inefficiently, it can mark the death of the project. Thus, time should be spent by the IT manager to formulate a well written scope of work which includes every detail possible. It should also be ensured that every member of the team understands the scope thoroughly.

5. Achievable Project Deadlines – The deadline for projects should not be such that it gives a lot of time and leads to inefficient resource utilization. However, it should also not be unrealistic and unachievable for the people who are working on the project. It is the job of the IT manager to ensure that the deadlines are as accurate as possible.

Lastly, when the office relocates, it is important that a specialized server moving company is hired to make the transition efficient and hassle free. It would be important and would have various benefits like giving flexibility, ensuring smooth operation and helping with the transition. If IT managers avoid the above-mentioned mistakes, they would surely find their work easier to perform and would have better results.