What is a web and mobile project manager?
The project manager, whatever their field, plays a coordinating role across the various skill sets involved in the project and handles client follow-up as the project progresses. They are therefore the point of reference for a project from start to finish. This means they must understand the basics of the various trades they work with and have complete command of their own field, in this case the development of websites and internet applications for mobile operating systems : Android (Google), iOS (Apple inc.), Windows Phone (Microsoft) and BlackBerry OS (RIM). Their schedule runs like clockwork, because they have to meet delivery deadlines while respecting the criteria agreed beforehand with the client.
What does a web and mobile project manager do?
Even before coordinating their teams, the project set-up phase is crucial. Depending on the organisation they work for, the coming year’s budgets are secured in different ways:
- In an agency, this means the tender process, in which the client issues a predefined brief to which each competing agency responds with a mock-up of the project it envisages to meet that brief. The prospective client then selects the one that appeals most.
- Conversely, the advertiser asks their in-house project manager to identify the company’s needs and to structure the entire project before overseeing its progress.
Whatever the organisation, this planning phase requires the web project manager to check the feasibility of the website requested as well as its technical and commercial fit with their employer’s strategy. It is therefore an initial discussion with the client or their line managers that sets the criteria and milestones, the projected budget as well as the deadlines set out in the brief. Once this first phase is complete, delivery begins. The digital project manager then coordinates the teams of web designers, developers, copywriters and sub-editors who come in at different stages of the build of the smartphone-optimised site or the app. They check that the various protocols are followed while providing regular updates to the relevant people on the progress of development through to final delivery of the project.
The essential qualities and skills of a web and mobile project manager
Given the many things they are responsible for, the web or mobile project manager is defined by a range of qualities, both technical and personal. At once a keen expert in the various programming languages and software packages (data mining, Agile and Scrum methodologies, etc.), their natural curiosity keeps them abreast of developments in the digital sector. They are also a seasoned manager. That command is just as essential in their teamwork as in the excellence of their client relationships. These core skills go hand in hand with :
- Adaptability
- Rigour
- A flair for sales
- Knowledge of the sports sector
Salary and career prospects
The web or mobile project manager has a broad range of skills across several fields. This means they can expect a gross monthly salary of around 3000 € at junior level. With experience, their gross monthly salary can reach around 4500 €. As a freelancer, the gross monthly pay is higher, because the professional pays their own contributions, or at least part of them.
Demand is very strong and there are plenty of vacancies to fill straight out of study. Graduates can therefore work for a multimedia production company, a web agency or a communications agency specialising in sport, a digital services company (ESN), a major group in the sports sector or an IT consultancy. Each of these types of organisation works with different sectors, so it is entirely possible to find projects linked to the sports sector and combine work with passion. Where sport is a particular passion, setting up your own business once a degree of experience and reputation has been built up remains an option. The more recognised your expertise, the more prestigious the projects and clients you can access.
Which programme should you take to become a web and mobile project manager?
A variety of programmes exist to train for the role of web or mobile project manager. These courses centred on IT range from two to five years of higher education. They provide the core set of skills needed to do the job well. That said, business training as a complement to it is highly relevant given the various requirements in administration, negotiation and management, particularly for anyone keen to work in connection with a specific field such as sport. In that case, a Bachelor in Careers in Sport is the ideal choice. The fundamentals of general knowledge, economics and finance are then taught through the lens of sport. This dual theoretical grounding is a real asset for building quality hands-on experience more quickly.
