What Does an Interactive Project Manager Do?

An interactive project manager is a person who oversees all aspects of the creation of something such as a website or interactive application. This is a highly technical industry, and the position requires an individual with computer knowledge, leadership skills and sometimes programming knowledge. In general, a person must have a minimum of a bachelor's degree in a computer related field and three years of experience to become an interactive project manager. While the specific types of projects an individual works on can vary, his basic job duties are similar. These include communicating with clients and staff, scheduling staff members, keeping track of progress and monitoring budget.

Consistently communicating with clients is one of the most essential responsibilities of an interactive project manager. It's his job to make sure that the interactive program being created meets the specific requirements of a client, and is completed on time. For example, if a client needs a certain type of website created, an interactive project manager may discuss the layout, theme, navigability and any other relevant information with him. In addition, he will usually discuss budget information and completion goals. For a project to be a success, it's critical that the project manager is on the same page as the client and has a clear understanding of what the client wants.

Along with this, he must also maintain communication with all staff members for each project. Basically, an interactive project manager serves as a liaison between a client and staff, and transfers information between both parties. This might involve explaining how a website should look to programmers or working on a logo with a branding expert.

Besides this, an interactive project manager is usually in charge of scheduling staff members. To ensure a smooth work flow, an individual in this position must keep his team adequately staffed and distribute the workload evenly. In most cases, he is also responsible for keeping personnel on task and taking disciplinary measures when necessary.

To ensure deadlines are met and the project is completed on time, an individual in this role will keep track of progress on various tasks. For example, if he is in charge of an interactive website, he may need to make sure that various programming milestones are reached by a certain date. Whenever complications arise, it's also up to an interactive project manager to resolve them and get a project back on track.

In addition, it's his responsibility to monitor budget and not exceed it. Since most clients have a fixed budget, an interactive project manager must stay on track with expenses and avoid overspending. This aspect of the job requires someone who is fiscally responsible and skilled at math.