Software Project Manager Roles and Responsibilities

A Software Project Manager takes the overall responsibility of steering a project to success. This surely is a very hazy job description. It is very difficult to objectively describe the precise job responsibilities of a project manager. The job responsibilities of a project manager range from invisible activities like building up team morale to highly visible customer presentations.

Most managers take responsibility for project proposal writing, project cost estimation, scheduling, project staffing, software process tailoring, project monitoring and control, software configuration management, risk management, managerial report writing and presentation, and interfacing with clients. These activities are certainly numerous and varied. We can still broadly classify these activities into two major types:
1. Project planning
2. Project monitoring and control.

Project planning: Project planning is undertaken immediately after the feasibility study phase and before the starting of the requirements analysis and specification phase.

Project monitoring and control: Project monitoring and control activities are undertaken once the development activities start.