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Research Roundup: How Technology Is Transforming Work

• Dagny Dukach

New studies explore its impact on hiring, employee experience, and more.

Digital technologies promise to bring new levels of productivity and efficiency in a wide variety of applications and organizations. But how are they transforming the experience of the employees who actually interact with them every day? In this research roundup, we share highlights from several recent studies that explore the nuanced ways in which technology is influencing today’s workplace and workforce — including both its undeniable benefits and substantial risks.

From AI recruiting tools to industrial automation and robotic assistants, new digital technologies are transforming the modern workplace. Many of these systems promise to improve efficiency, productivity, and well-being — but how are they actually affecting the people who interact with them every day?

• Dagny Dukach is a former associate editor at Harvard Business Review.

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IT Job Description: Roles, Requirements, and Outlook

Learn what to expect in an IT job description, including job requirements, the future outlook for jobs in IT, salary expectations, and growth potential.

Information technology (IT) is one of the world's fastest-growing industries and offers various opportunities for advancement and high-paying jobs. Skilled IT workers find work in nearly every industry, giving you the option to pursue a position in an industry you’re most interested in. Understanding the different roles and qualifications within IT can help you plan your next steps to find a position that suits you. 

In this article, you'll explore fourteen different IT careers along with the skills and certifications that can help you join them. Afterward, if you're interested in building foundational IT skills, consider enrolling in either Google's IT Support Professional Certificate or IBM's IT Support Professional Certificate .

What is an IT job?

An IT job can range from an IT support specialist , project manager , or software designer . Positions in this field cover a broad variety of roles that can vary depending on the company. An IT position generally involves managing and storing data using computers, software, databases, networks, and servers. As an IT professional, you may write programs, maintain networks, analyze systems, and provide technical support. 

Read more: 10 Entry-Level IT Jobs and What You Can Do to Get Hired

IT job outlook

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that IT jobs are expected to grow by 23 percent between 2022 and 2023, adding over 377,500 new jobs a year throughout the decade [ 1 ]. The average median salary for IT workers in 2022 was $97,430. If you're considering a career in IT, now may be an ideal time to start working toward one.

14 IT roles and salaries

When you think about information technology roles, you may envision role-based technician positions, like software developer, coder, and website administrator. However, positions in the industry include much more. The list below shows that IT job titles are as varied as the types of jobs available in the industry.

*Note: The salary information below was sourced from Glassdoor in March 2024. Figures represent base salary and average annual additional pay. Additional pay may include commissions, bonuses, or profit-sharing.

1. Applications engineer

Average annual salary (US): $121,335

An applications engineer builds software architecture, optimizes existing systems, and supports clients using their programs.

2. Computer programmer

Average annual salary (US): $91,255

A computer programmer writes, tests, and modifies code used by computers to operate software and complete specific tasks.

3. Computer scientist

Average annual salary (US): $153,146

A computer scientist may take on various roles; they apply theory to develop computer systems, build databases, work with programming languages , and more.

4. Data quality manager

Average annual salary (US): $124,419

Data quality managers work with every department in a company to efficiently recognize gaps in data quality and maintain the correct and accurate use of data.

5. Data scientist

Average annual salary (US): $120,588

A data scientist develops predictive models to identify trends in data and forecast different business outcomes.

6. IT coordinator

Average annual salary (US): $67,534

An IT coordinator maintains the technology used by a company. They may need to troubleshoot errors, manage servers, build databases, and purchase equipment. 

7. IT director

Average annual salary (US): $165,786

An IT director manages a company’s IT professionals and technical operations, and may also track how they work to increase efficiency and minimize risk. 

8. IT security specialist

Average annual salary (US): $109,558

IT security specialists protect confidential information by monitoring anti-virus protection systems, encrypting data, and creating firewalls. 

9. Network engineer

Average annual salary (US): $101,388

Network engineers design infrastructure systems and improve existing network systems within a company.

10. Quality assurance tester

Average annual salary (US): $64,501

A quality assurance tester attempts to identify gaps or errors in software by conducting manual and automated tests to simulate different scenarios on the software.

11. Software engineer

Average annual salary (US): $114,692

Software engineers create computer systems and design applications to meet specific needs or solve real-world problems.

12. Support specialist

Average annual salary (US): $59,177

A support specialist works alongside administrative and technical support to resolve customer concerns directly or refer them to the appropriate department.

13. User experience designer

Average annual salary (US): $97,319

A user experience designer helps developers create programs and websites that are accessible for people and easy to use. 

14. Web administrator

Average annual salary (US): $65,309

A web administrator manages the company website to optimize its performance and increase its online visibility. 

Job duties and responsibilities of IT professionals

The key job duties of IT professionals typically include creating new computer systems, networks, and applications or finding software errors through troubleshooting. Many of them can be involved in various tasks depending on their roles and the company's needs.

As an IT worker, you can expect to work with computer-based information systems, software, and hardware, typically by designing, developing, and managing them. Everyday responsibilities can include: 

Identifying technical problems 

Deploying the appropriate IT solutions to solve problems 

Designing computer-based systems or programs

Identifying user needs with technology 

General skills to build for IT job roles

Beyond having technical skills, such as programming, IT professionals and employers look for workplace skills like communication since technical skills are learnable through hands-on work. Having a balanced set of both types of skills can make you an attractive applicant for IT roles. Here are some technical and workplace skills to consider building as you prepare for a career in IT. 

Technical skills

Computer literacy: As an IT professional, you’ll spend a lot of time using computers, so understanding how to operate it and its basic functions is necessary.

Coding: Many IT roles require coding knowledge in various programming languages, depending on your specific role. You may help code or develop new software and applications for your company.

Application development: Having experience with application development can help you to understand the back-end of the software you’re using. You may find this helpful in creating new software or applications and monitoring computer systems. 

Workplace skills

Analytical: Analytical skills like critical thinking can help you identify and solve technology-related issues. For example, you may need to assess the status and identify computer system and application errors.

Communication: You’ll communicate with various teams within your organization as an IT professional. This includes explaining technical concepts in a way that others can understand. 

Organization: In an IT role, you’ll be tasked with multiple duties or projects at once, making organization a critical skill for success. With proper organization, your efficiency and productivity at work will drastically increase. 

Problem-solving: Troubleshooting problems with the technology systems in your company can be difficult and confusing, so having advanced problem-solving techniques can lead you to be an effective team member. 

Time management: IT professionals often have time-sensitive tasks with hard deadlines. It’s crucial to prioritize your time, designate tasks when needed, and complete projects correctly by their deadlines. 

Read more: What Are Job Skills and Why Do They Matter?

IT education requirements

Many IT jobs require that you have an associate or bachelor's degree. You can attain a degree in various fields to qualify for IT roles, such as information technology, computer science , or computer engineering. Some common courses you’ll take to help prepare you for an IT career include statistics, calculus, data networking, and information security. Some employers also accept relevant experience and certifications in lieu of a college degree.

To better position yourself to reach senior-level positions, you can choose to pursue a master’s degree in any relevant field of study. While hands-on experience in the IT field will help you to become an attractive candidate for higher-level IT roles, an advanced degree can be an essential asset to prove your expertise and dedication to your work. 

Certifications for IT jobs

Pursuing specific certifications that are related to your specialization field to further your education and prove your expertise. Some senior-level positions may also require certain certifications. 

Depending on the certification you want to earn, you typically need to have on-the-job experience. Here are some common IT certifications:

1. Certified Data Professional (CDP)

This certification demonstrates your level of expertise in core concepts about data management and information systems. 

To earn this certification: Pass two exams, and then you can opt to take an additional exam to specialize in data management. Options include data administration, data integration or modeling, and business analytics.

2. Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)

The CISA certification is a top choice for IT professionals whose primary role involves auditing or system security. 

To earn the certification: Pass an exam that covers various topics, such as IT management, operations of information systems, and auditing information systems, and provide proof of in-field work experience. 

3. Certified information systems security professional (CISSP)

If you've been working in a systems security role with experience in areas like security management and operations, software development security, and asset security. In that case, you may consider pursuing the CISSP certification. 

To earn the certification: You must pass an exam of the eight domains outlined in the CISSP Common Body of Knowledge and provide documentation of at least five years of paid work experience to qualify. 

4. Cisco certified network associate (CCNA Security)

Cisco is one of the world's leading technology companies, and the CCNA certification can help you prepare to manage and utilize its networks. Certificate holders work in various IT roles, from help desk technicians to network administrators.

To earn the certification: You must pass an exam that covers network and security fundamentals, automation, IP services, and programmability. 

5. CompTIA security+

The CompTIA Security+ exam will test you on the core principles necessary for various cybersecurity-related roles. 

To earn this certification: Pass the exam that focuses on core security functions, including how to evaluate, monitor, and improve IT security protocols, stay in compliance with regulations, and handle security incidents when they arise. 

Read more: Are Certifications Worth It? When to Get Certified in Your IT Career

6. Project management professional

If you’re interested in pursuing management roles in IT, this certification may help boost your odds of qualifying for these positions. Earning this certification helps demonstrate your knowledge of project management principles and helps authenticate your leadership skills in project management approaches like Agile and Waterfall. You have to pass one exam to earn this certification. 

Start preparing and learning in-demand project management skills with the Google Project Management Professional Certificate .

Build IT skills on Coursera today

If you're interested in building job-relevant IT skills, consider enrolling in a Professional Certificate on Coursera today.

In Google's I T Support Professional Certificate , you'll learn to perform day-to-day IT support tasks like computer assembly, wireless networking, installing programs, and customer service. Best of all, upon completion, you'll earn a Professional Certificate from Google and be prepared to take the CompTIA A+ exams.

In IBM's IT Support Professional Certificate , you'll master the most up-to-date practical skills and tools used by IT support professionals while also developing a strong IT foundation in topics including cybersecurity, networking, cloud, and databases. And, upon completion, you'll both gain an IBM professional certificate and be prepared for the CompTIA certification exams.

Article sources

US Bureau of Labor Statistics. " Computer and Information Technology Occupations https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/home.htm." Accessed April 3, 2024.

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IT Services

How IT project managers succeed with project management software

Let’s face it: IT projects are notoriously complex. So is managing them.

With shifting client requirements, unknown endpoints, finicky development languages, and the constantly evolving nature of technology itself, information technology projects face more potential hurdles and pitfalls than their analog counterparts.

To overcome these challenges, IT project managers have specialized training and often more experience. But they also leverage project management software to simplify their workflows and iron out some of the inevitable wrinkles.

This post covers the responsibilities of an IT project manager, the types of projects commonly assigned, the most common challenges faced, and — most importantly — how project management software can help overcome those hurdles.

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IT project manager responsibilities 

The IT project manager is a vital role for agencies with sufficiently complex IT needs. A subset or variety of a technical project manager , this role combines the knowledge and responsibilities of conventional project management (including possible PM certification, expected by more than 50% of companies that employ project managers) with the subject matter expertise needed to understand and succeed in tech and IT.

Because of this dual focus, these professionals are frequently more highly trained — and more highly compensated — than entry-level PMs. They often have a bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field — if not a master’s degree — and may already have years of experience under their belt as a non-specialist project manager.

Typical responsibilities for an IT project manager include (but aren’t limited to):

Daily IT operations (servers, software, operating systems, cloud technologies)

IT budget planning and oversight

Testing and troubleshooting

Hardware installations and ongoing maintenance

IT risk management (including data backup and disaster recovery)

IT compliance

Oversight of specific IT tasks

As agencies grow larger, it’s common for some of these responsibilities to move to other roles or departments (IT compliance, for example, typically employs numerous specialists and managers in an enterprise). 

Additionally, larger firms usually make a distinction between IT managers and IT project managers, with the former handling broader IT management, vision, and goals, while the latter focuses on individual assignments within IT.

• Stages an IT project manager will follow for successful projects

Projects following IT project management best practices will adhere to five standard phases:

1) Initiation

Project initiation is where the objectives are created and defined. A detailed proposal is a key deliverable for this phase. For IT-related projects, it will be more technical in nature.

Reading and understanding the proposal might require a basic understanding of IT language and concepts. 

That means the person who writes the proposal (usually the project manager) must have a thorough understanding of the technology involved.

2) Planning

The planning phase includes:

Determining scope

Refining a budget

Assigning resources

Building a schedule

Because IT projects rarely exist in isolation, IT project managers may also deal with planning for integration, adoption, and/or training once the task is complete.

3) Executing

The deliverables are created during this phase as development teams and project personnel follow the project schedule and complete their tasks. Here, the IT project manager shifts into a technical advisor role in addition to schedule-keeping, task tracking, and so forth.

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4) Monitoring

IT project managers monitor progress throughout the execution phase. Cost and quality are two factors to track, as is schedule adherence.

As disagreements or technical hurdles arise, the IT project manager leverages both management skills and IT subject matter expertise to problem-solve and determine the path forward.

At the completion of all deliverables, the project manager informs stakeholders and ensures deliverables reach their proper destination. An IT project manager may also oversee initial support and training related to the software or assignment just completed.

• Types of projects an IT project manager oversees

IT project managers are in charge of a wide range of IT-related projects, including:

Web development

IT project managers navigate the intricacies of web development projects, from defining goals to coordinating cross-functional teams. The broad strokes of schedule building may be something a standard project manager could handle, but any problem-solving or stakeholder interaction requires a level of technical proficiency.

Web development projects could include:

An internal website

A consumer-facing website designed for the agency (or its client) to promote its goods and services

An ecommerce website

A web app or service accessed through a web portal

Individual landing, service, and product pages

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Software development

Software development projects tend to dive even deeper into coding and programming, to the degree that a freshly-minted project management professional with no IT background may not know what a single task on the next sprint is. 

That’s why software development projects tend to require an IT project manager, someone who can “speak the language” well enough to build intelligent schedules, keep devs on task and on track, and make sure everything is finished on time and on budget. 

Software development projects run the gamut from small internal tools that handle agency functions to business- or consumer-oriented retail software products.

Mobile app development

Mobile app development faces similar challenges to software development, so an IT project manager’s role looks similar here. 

However, there are a few differences: app store platform compatibility is its own complex system, and many mobile apps require rapid iteration cycles and ongoing maintenance and updates. 

Network configuration

IT project managers play a critical role in network configuration projects because without a functioning computer network and IT infrastructure, you won’t have an operating agency (or at least not for long). 

They plan and implement IT system changes in a way that maximizes performance while minimizing downtime, keeping the agency online and on task.

Network configuration projects could include:

Cloud migrations and integrations

Upgrading capacity

Server upgrades

Standardizing to a common set of network providers and software tools

Software implementation

Agencies must implement new software to keep up with current capabilities, but doing so at scale can be complex.

IT project managers are instrumental in the successful rollout of new software systems; they gather requirements, lay out customization needs, and oversee user training. 

Software implementation projects could include building an implementation plan for a new operating system or a modern replacement for an industry-specific software tool. Or they can involve integrating a new cloud or SaaS tool with an existing tech stack.

Data projects

IT project managers also keep a handle on data-centric initiatives such as data migration, data warehousing, and intelligence initiatives. They help ensure data accuracy, accessibility, visibility, and alignment with business objectives.

Data projects could be: 

Moving data from a data warehouse to a data lake

Migrating data to or from the cloud

Cleaning and using data to produce business intelligence

• Common challenges faced by IT project managers

IT project managers must navigate numerous challenges and stress points. Some overlap with the hurdles all project managers face, but each has its own flavor or unique attributes in an IT context.

Resource allocation

Resource allocation is a responsibility for all project managers, but it can be especially challenging in IT project management. 

The process of distributing people, finances, and technology is tough enough when the deliverables are tangible and the parameters known from the outset. But often in IT projects neither is true: the deliverables are ones and zeroes, and the final outcomes may not be known at the start. 

IT project managers, then, must navigate the complexities of resource allocation with agility, making adjustments and reallocations throughout the course of the project.

Time management

Maximizing team efficiency is an ongoing challenge in IT project management: IT PMs must grapple with the constantly changing nature of software development. 

Iterative development, ephemeral feature sets, and a need to begin building without every detail settled all complicate efficiency and time management on software teams.

Managing remote teams

Remote teams are becoming more common across all industries where the practice is possible, but IT teams remain the most likely to be partly or fully remote. To give just one example: Flexjobs rounded up 20 companies that have shifted to permanent remote work , and every single one of them was in IT and software. 

Remote teams may be possible, but they aren’t always working well together.

PMO Advisory CEO Te Wu, speaking to CIO , comments on the challenges brought on by a lack of in-person collaboration:

“People are spending more time to get to the same net effectiveness, and I think human relationships are starting to fray.”

Remote teams can face additional difficulties with communication, mutual understanding, and team-building. The IT project manager must navigate this environment, helping team members get to know and trust one another despite physical distance. 

Handling project scope changes

Because the end goal is often not known at the outset of software development projects (and several other IT categories), scope changes are inevitable. Still, they can be a significant threat to project success if not managed. 

IT project managers must navigate a delicate balance between stakeholder and client requests with the project’s objectives and constraints (time, budget, and resources).

• Key features of project management software that aid IT project managers

Many IT project managers turn to PM software to alleviate some of the challenges inherent in their work. These are some of the key features they look for — and that you should prioritize in your own search for the right software solution.

Task assignment and tracking

Task assignment and tracking features in a PM software can help IT project managers and their development teams understand who’s responsible for what and when. 

It’s a great help going into a project meeting or sprint and already having a clear picture of:

Where tasks are in their workflows

Where they are stuck or bottlenecked

What’s going smoothly and according to plan

Teamwork.com is perfect for assigning and tracking tasks across a wide range of project management methodologies. Its easy-to-use interface makes task assignments clear and easy to see, both for the project manager and the assigned team member.

Track every detail so nothing slips through the cracks

Manage complex client projects with ease. Break work down into tasks and subtasks so everyone know's what to do and when it's done.

Time tracking and timesheets

In a field with so many unknowns, it’s nice to have data to pull from. Historical details on how much time a previous, similar project took can serve as a strong starting point for planning the next deliverable.

Of course, to get this data, teams must track their time. Some project management suites omit this capability, requiring agencies to add yet another piece of software to their stack.

Others, like Teamwork.com, include powerful native time-tracking features that are already integrated with the rest of the project management platform.

Budget and expense management

All projects have a budget (or at least, they should to keep things on track and as profitable as possible). The project manager’s job is to measure progress against that budget, ensuring there’s enough expense room to reach the finish line. 

Here again, IT project managers can benefit from budget and expense management features in their PM software, helping them tie work and time directly to costs. 

Collaboration tools (chats, file sharing)

Numerous collaboration tools, including video conferencing, chat and instant messaging, file sharing, and collaborative spaces, can enhance the way IT teams work together.

Keeping communications centralized also helps the IT project manager by providing a single source of truth and a searchable “paper trail” for tracking down random bits of information. 

It’s helpful when these collaboration tools integrate with an agency's chosen project management solution, too. Teamwork Spaces and Teamwork Chat are impressive additions to the project manager’s toolkit, giving teams dedicated collaborative spaces, instant messaging, video chat, and more.

Risk assessment and mitigation features

Lastly, IT project managers can benefit from risk assessment and mitigation features, either as a part of a broader security or business intelligence suite, or as features within project management software.

These tools can help identify the most likely risks and point project managers toward solutions that eliminate or lower them. 

• Streamline your IT project workflows with Teamwork.com

IT project management is a strategic way to plan, execute, and monitor projects from start to finish. The discipline faces many of the same challenges other PMs face, but with the added wrinkle of especially complex subject matter that requires everyone on the team — including the PM — to have significant technical expertise.

Teamwork.com helps IT project managers simplify and streamline the project management aspects of their work, bringing task management, resource allocation, time tracking, budgeting, and more into a single portal.

By lessening the load of project management, Teamwork.com enables IT project managers to focus on moving assignments forward with confidence and speed.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

• IT project manager responsibilities

Ben is a Senior Content Marketing Specialist at Teamwork.com. Having held content roles at agencies and SaaS companies for the past 8 years, Ben loves writing about the latest tech trends and work hacks in the agency space.

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IT Project Management: Managing IT Projects

This guide is brought to you by projectmanager, the project management software trusted by 35,000+ users..

What Is IT Project Management?

What is it project management software, benefits of it project management software, must-have features for it project management software, how to manage an it project, unique challenges of it project management, it project management methodologies, it project management tools, roles in it project management, it project manager job description, is it project management certification necessary, what is an it project.

An information technology (IT) project is a type of project that deals with IT infrastructure, information systems or computers. Examples of an IT project include web development, software development, mobile app development, network configuration, software implementation, hardware installation, database management, and IT emergency recovery.

IT project management (ITPM) is the planning, scheduling, execution, monitoring and reporting of IT projects. While many industries focus exclusively on IT projects, IT is unique in that most, if not all, industries have some level of an IT component.

Since they are often very wide in scope, IT project managers must deal with risk, interdependent integrations, software updates, scope creep and so on. Therefore, IT projects require more than the typical project management tools and skills to complete.

Specialized IT project management software complete with online Gantt charts, kanban boards, dashboards and reports provide the essential functions necessary for successful IT projects.

ProjectManager has everything you need to enhance IT planning, scheduling and rollouts. Learn more.

What Are the Six Phases of an IT Project?

The six phases of an IT project are based on the six phases of project management , which are used in conjunction with the IT phases to manage the project. They are as follows:

During the first phase of an IT project, one must ask “why is this project needed?”—in other words, the objective of the project must be identified. Then, a project proposal , including a business plan, that meets the needs of the project must be written. In addition, a feasibility study might be conducted to ensure the proposal is airtight.

After the project proposal has been approved, the project moves into the definition phase. This is where the objectives of the project are finalized and the requirements for a successful project are identified. The project scope can also be outlined, and a project plan may be created during this phase. Budgets are also set, and resources are determined.

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The design phase of an IT project is when the project team sets out to find the best solution for achieving their goal. This includes creating multiple designs and prototypes. Once a suitable design has been chosen, specifications for the development team are created and shared.

Development

The development phase is when the development team is assigned tasks and project management tools are selected. Additionally, technicalities are outlined, raw materials are requested and so on. The main goal of this phase is to make the entire plan as crystal clear as possible to avoid issues in the implementation phase.

Implementation

The implementation phase is where the final deliverable of the IT project is developed; unsurprisingly, this is often the longest phase of the project. The project team sets out to complete their tasks, while the manager monitors and controls the work , resources, cost, quality and risk.

Finally, once the implementation phase is complete, the final project is delivered to the customer/client/stakeholder. The follow up phase is all the work that comes after the project is delivered, and includes setting up support teams, training the end-users, creating a postmortem and ultimately ending the project.

Most IT projects and their phases are managed with a traditional, structured waterfall methodology. An agile framework, though, can minimize risk when adding functionality. DevOps deployment can be a good fit within an organizational culture. Rapid application development (RAD) is a low-investment, high-quality process.

What Does an IT Project Manager Do?

An IT project manager is responsible for overseeing an organization’s IT department and managing teams to execute IT projects on time and within budget. Some of the duties of an IT project manager include:

• Setting project goals and creating plans to meet them
• Maintaining the project schedule and budget, creating status reports
• Managing resources, including the team, equipment, etc.
• Assigning tasks to team members
• Developing strategy to deliver projects on time and within budget
• Using IT project management tools to track progress and performance
• Assessing project risks
• Developing IT risk management strategies
• Leading regular meetings with team and stakeholders

IT project managers are expected to have advanced knowledge of computers, operating systems, network and service desk administration. They must also be good communicators and be able to clearly explain complex technical issues. Other required skills include experience with scheduling, budgeting and resource planning.

While the skill sets of project managers across different industries are generally the same, an IT project manager is unique in that they’re focused solely on the IT needs of an organization. But like all project managers, the way an IT project manager handles their varied duties and responsibilities is with the help of robust IT project management software.

IT project management software is used by managers to organize and control the processes of their IT projects. Like any software tool, it’s main purpose is to increase efficiency.

IT project management software boosts efficiency by giving users the features they need to monitor and track progress and performance. This keeps their IT projects on track to meet tight schedules and budgets.

Some key features common among IT project management tools include task and time tracking, real-time data, unlimited file storage, multiple project views to support hybrid methodologies, planning, scheduling and reporting. Microsoft Project is one of the most commonly used project management software, but it has major drawbacks that make ProjectManager a better choice for IT projects.

Regardless of what IT project management software you choose, you want one that is going to make your job easier. It should help you organize tasks and schedule their execution over a set schedule budget. You also want a tool that connects your team and stakeholders to keep them all on the same page.

There are many benefits to using IT project management software:

• Plan Waterfall Projects with Gantt charts
• Live Status with Real-Time Dashboards
• Manage Program or Portfolio of IT Projects
• Get Data Rich Reports With One Click
• Guide teams through digital transformation projects
• Track Time Spent on Tasks and Monitor Progress
• Customize Workflow on Kanban Boards

The IT project management software that’s best for you will ideally have at least these six features.

Keep Tasks Organized on a Timeline

IT managers and teams need a visual tool to organize their tasks over a project timeline. Gantt charts help them prioritize, set the duration and even link dependent tasks that could block work later on during the execution of a project.

Make Better Data-Driven Decisions

Managing means constantly making choices. The more data you have, the better those decisions. Reports that pull info on progress, costs, variance, workload and much more can help you gather insightful information. Reports should be easy to generate, filter and share.

Get Live Status Reports

IT systems require that you keep a close eye on metrics, catch irregularities quickly and resolve them even quicker. A dashboard that is always collecting data and displaying it in easy-to-read graphs and charts will give you a high-level view of your IT’s health.

Assign the Right Amount of Tasks

Knowing what your IT teams are doing is essential to keeping them productive. If they have too many tasks, their work suffers. Using a workload management feature will allow you to see who is working on what, and balance that workload to have everyone equally allocated.

Track Your Team’s Logged Hours

Timesheets are more than a payroll tool—they’re another window into your team’s productivity. They allow you to monitor how many hours they’re spending on tasks, and you can reallocate resources as necessary to keep the work moving ahead as planned.

Know Immediately What’s Happening

IT systems are critical business processes. If they go down, money is lost. To avoid any slowdown (or worse), managers need a feature in their IT project management tool that alerts them in emergencies. It’s also helpful to get notified when anything is updated.

While there are many ways to manage an IT project, some aspects are universal. The steps might be slightly different, but the general direction is the same.

We’ll walk you through these steps one-by-one, while illustrating how a project management software can help you along the way.

1. Collect Requirements

Before a project can begin, paperwork is required. You need to define scope, create a budget and determine the stakeholder requirements. All these documents can be attached to the project on our software, which has unlimited file storage.

2. Select Team

Now that you’ve collected the project’s requirements, you can assemble a team with the skills and experience that fit the task at hand. Be sure to onboard them into your project management software, so communication happens in one place.

3. Use a Gantt Chart

Use a Gantt to add tasks to a timeline , link dependencies, set milestones and view the critical path. We offer a fully-featured online Gantt chart for project managers who work in a waterfall environment. The whole team doesn’t have to use this traditional planning tool though, as project data is shared across multiple project views: task lists, calendars and kanban boards.

4. Use a Kanban Board

Use a kanban board to control workflow during project execution. With ProjectManager, you can create workflows, execute sprints and work in an agile framework without disturbing the Gantt plan.

5. Monitor Progress

As the project moves forward, it’s important that the actual progress matches what was planned. Our software has a real-time dashboard that collects data as it’s updated. We automatically crunch the numbers and display them in charts that show costs, tasks, health and more. Project tracking has never been easier.

6. Manage Workload

IT projects require smart workload management. Are team members overtasked or have they too few assignments? To avoid slowing progress, our workload page shows you who’s on holiday and who has too much work: you can even reassign tasks right from the page.

7. Make Changes

Projects aren’t static. You have to pivot fast when there are change requests from stakeholders. Our software gives your plans and your team flexibility. For example, if a date changes, simply drag and drop the task to the new deadline on the Gantt chart. This change is then reflected throughout the software.

8. Get Reports

To track progress and keep stakeholders updated, our software has an in-depth reporting feature . There are many reports, that can be generated to help with IT project management. Make an in-depth status report with just a few clicks to get the information you need.

Ready to manage your IT project with ProjectManager? Start your 30-day free trial today!

IT project management deals with a variety of issues. It ends up interfacing with many other aspects of an organization, such as business administration, human resources, finance and other departments within the organization and entities that are outside of the business. This presents a number of pressing problems with high stakes, for if the technology goes down, then an entire business can become paralyzed.

Changing Technology

There’s the challenge that IT is a volatile industry, with a rate of change that can be dizzying. Technology is notorious for becoming obsolete once it rolls off the assembly line, so IT project management must be prepared for this inevitable change.

Communication

Another hurdle that IT project management has to clear is communication between teams. This is a problem with all projects, frankly, but with IT there are often distributed teams who work remotely, often in different time zones, which only aggravates the situation. Having clear and effective communication channels is key for success on any IT project.

Transparency

Transparency is important, too, as the focus in IT is sharp. Having transparency across the project, with clear deadlines, helps teams better incorporate new technology or respond to change quickly and effectively.

Lack of Agreement on Methodology

But one of the biggest issues is that many organizations aren’t applying IT project management to their projects, which is like sailing a ship without a rudder. Without a process or methodology, whatever that might be, projects go off-track and over budget. Having an IT project manager who defines process, roles and tools is the first step to the success of an IT project.

There seem to be as many project management methodologies as there are projects. They break down into two larger camps, though: traditional and nontraditional methods. Let’s start with the traditional waterfall method, which breaks down the tasks in a project into a line of sequential project phases, and each of these phases depends on the delivery of the one before it.

Waterfall Methodology

Waterfall is the go-to methodology for most IT projects. While it is a project management method found in large projects outside of IT, it also lends itself to IT projects and has been proven a successful approach for formal and linear projects.

Waterfall has been around since it was codified in a paper published in 1970 by Dr. Winston W. Royce. The waterfall model has six stages:

• Requirements: First, the requirements are identified, analyzed and written up in a requirements document, defining what is being done and how it is to be done. This will be reviewed by stakeholders.
• Design: The next step is to document what was decided in the first stage in a design document, which notes everything needed to complete the project.
• Implementation:  The IT project manager and team execute the design document, sticking to specifications, procedures and timelines.
• Testing:  This is when deliverables from the project are measured against the standards set in the design document and stakeholders, like a quality check. If not met, then the process starts again. Our test case template can help with this process.
• Installation: If the tests are passed, then the project is ready for release to the end-user. The product should be fully operational at this point.
• Maintenance:  Most IT projects don’t end with delivery: they often require support after installation, whether updates or upgrades, though often this is tasked to a separate team.

Agile Methodology

Software development has introduced an agile framework to projects, a more iterative approach that works in short sprints and open to pivoting throughout the project, rather than being rigidly aligned with the plan. Some IT teams have incorporated agile or some of its implementations into their own projects.

Hybrid Methodology

More popular than agile with IT teams is hybrid methodology , which combines waterfall and agile, creating a more flexible and yet structured approach that can lend itself to IT projects. This “best of both worlds” approach it can be the right path forward depending on the parameters of the project.

ProjectManager is the ideal IT project management software for waterfall or hybrid methodologies. It features online Gantt charts for waterfall enthusiasts and kanban boards for agile lovers. Plus, the real-time dashboard keeps the IT project manager updated on progress through metrics that can be filtered to show the data you want and then shared.

Other Methodologies

Less used in IT projects, but worth mentioning, is the critical path method and critical chain project management. The critical path method categorizes the tasks that must be completed to fulfill the project objective. This is done with a work breakdown structure (WBS) , which is then mapped across a project duration or Gantt chart, with task dependencies linked to avoid blocking teams. This helps to know which tasks need to be done when.

The critical chain project management works backwards, recognizing deliverables and using past experience to map the tasks needed to complete the project. This is a very efficient way to use resources, while staying focused on the end-goal. However, delays can be common, and it’s not suited to work on a portfolio of projects.

The right IT project management tools will overcome the challenges of IT projects and give project managers better control and teams the features they need to collaborate and be more productive. Fortunately, ProjectManager is a project management software designed with IT project management in mind.

Gantt Charts for Waterfall Plans

The feature that fits with IT project management like a hand in a glove is ProjectManager’s online Gantt charts. Most of the methodologies above work on the timeline of a Gantt chart, and ours will allows you to link tasks that are dependent and even assign.

Teams love our online Gantt chart, especially IT teams that tend to work collaboratively and with autonomy. That’s because they can comment at the task level. Tasks can also have documents attached or images to add supporting materials and even sign-off once they’re completed.

Dashboards for Live Reporting

Because ProjectManager is a cloud-based project management software, status updates are instantly reflected throughout the program. That means your real-time dashboard is giving you project details as they happen.

The various metrics measuring cost, workload, time and more, can be filtered to show just the amount of data you need. Then these easy-to-read colorful graphs and charts can be shared to teams and stakeholders or printed out for presentations.

Roles and responsibilities in IT project management mostly mirror those projects in other disciplines. There are stakeholders, who are those who have an interest in the project; teams, who are those with skills to execute the project plan ; and the IT project manager, who is the person that is responsible for the planning, procurement and execution of the project.

Types of IT Teams

Where roles differ from more traditional projects is in the teams themselves. While more project management is executed by teams, whether remote or on site, they are largely part of the overall organization that is implementing the project. However, with IT project management there are three types of teams.

• First, there is the traditional project management team that is tasked with an IT project. These teams are not exclusive to IT and are led and staffed with a formal project management methodology.
• Second, there are professional services teams , who deliver technology to external customers. This is usually done with the implementation of software or installation of hardware. They are often led by a project manager, but can be headed by a services vice-president or director. However, they also use formal types of project management.
• Thirdly, there are internal IT teams . These are the teams that manage the delivery and maintenance of the technology in an organization. They roll out new systems, set up computers, monitors, phones and other devices for employees and manage the systems. They can be led by a project manager, though that person is usually defined within the company as a director or vice-president of IT.

The IT Project Manager

The IT project manager, due to the breadth of IT project management, has a wider range of responsibilities than most other project managers. They are not only dealing with leadership, resource allocation, scheduling and planning, monitoring and reporting, but must know about technology beyond the tools that they use to manage projects.

IT project managers are responsible for understanding firmware and being able to implement software integrations. They often build websites and databases, and manage these technologies as well. This includes building networks and maintaining security for data risks .

However, the basic structure of the IT project manager’s job remains being a clear communicator, setting realistic goals and applying the right methodology to achieve them. They must motivate and inform both teams and stakeholders, manage change and set the project schedule. The triple constraint of any project is still present. Therefore, the IT project manager, like any project manager, is concerned with setting deadlines and keeping to a budget. This is all managed through methodology.

An IT project manager can make a salary that ranges from $55,000 to $125,000, depending on industry and region. The more senior the position, however, the more compensated the person will be.

Responsibilities of an IT project manager are similar to any project manager, in that they lead the planning, execution and monitoring and reporting of the project. They are responsible for making sure resources are managed and the project comes in successfully, meaning on time, within budget and of the expected quality. They also report to upper management, stakeholders, clients, etc., while managing the IT staff.

The IT project manager is also responsible for staying updated on the latest technology and changes to the organization’s technology, through research and studying similar organizations and their IT structure. They make sure that the technology complements the organization’s overall goals, strategies and practices.

They also work to preserve the IT assets by implementing disaster recovery and back-up procedures, including any IT security and control structures. The IT project manager is responsible for the quality of all IT projects.

Skills and Qualifications

Some of the skills and qualifications of an IT project manager include:

• Technical management
• An understanding of technology
• An ability to stay on top of the ever-changing field
• Ability to analyze data
• Communications
• Problem-solving
• Data center management
• Strategic planning
• Quality management

One way to stay up-to-date on all the skills and qualifications required of an IT project manager is certification. Certification is done by an outside agency that notes a standard of excellence, understanding of the discipline and experience.

Most IT project managers have at least a bachelor’s degree in business management or a more specific area, such as marketing, engineering or computer science. To further differentiate yourself, there are certifications, but they’re mostly general project manager certifications.

Types of Certifications

The Project Management Institute (PMI) offers a couple of industry-recognized project manager certifications, such as the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) and the Project Management Professional (PMP). PMI also offers a PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA), Program Management Professional (PgMP) and Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP).

More technical certifications are The Open Group’s TOGAF 9 and OPEN CA certifications, as well as the IASA’s Certified IT Architech – Professional (CITA-P). These enterprise architect certifications merge a knowledge of technology with business goals.

IT governance certifications is offered by ITIL and ISACA, which have Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT) and Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC).

IT Project Management Resources

• Emerging Trends in IT
• Project Management Trends (2022)
• The 10 Project management Knowledge Areas
• IT Governance: Definitions, Frameworks and Planning
• 7 Steps for Effective Problem Management in IT
• IT Audit: Definition & Quick Guide
• Technical Project Manager
• IT Portfolio Management Software
• 15 Free IT Project Management Templates for Excel, Word & More
• IT Project Plan Template
• IT Risk Assessment Template
• How to Become an IT Project Manager

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The Impacts of ICT Support on Information Distribution, Task Assignment for Gaining Teams’ Situational Awareness in Search and Rescue Operations

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• Vimala Nunavath 8 ,
• Jaziar Radianti 8 ,
• Tina Comes 8 &
• Andreas Prinz 8  

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 425))

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Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has changed the way we communicate and work. To study the effects of ICT for Information Distribution (ID) and Task Assignment (TA) for gaining Teams’ Situational Awareness (TSA) across and within rescue teams, an indoor fire game was played with students. We used two settings (smartphone-enabled support vs. traditional walkietalkies) to analyze the impact of technology on ID and TA for gaining TSA in a simulated Search and Rescue operation. The results presented in this paper combine observations and quantitative data from a survey conducted after the game. The results indicate that the use of the ICT was good in second scenario than first scenario for ID and TA for gaining TSA. This might be explained as technology is more preferable and effective for information sharing, for gaining TSA and also for clear tasks assignment.

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Taking the Advantage of Smartphone Apps for Understanding Information Needs of Emergency Response Teams’ for Situational Awareness: Evidence from an Indoor Fire Game

Supporting Team Coordination on the Ground: Requirements from a Mixed Reality Game

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Vimala Nunavath, Jaziar Radianti, Tina Comes & Andreas Prinz

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Nunavath, V., Radianti, J., Comes, T., Prinz, A. (2016). The Impacts of ICT Support on Information Distribution, Task Assignment for Gaining Teams’ Situational Awareness in Search and Rescue Operations. In: Thampi, S., Bandyopadhyay, S., Krishnan, S., Li, KC., Mosin, S., Ma, M. (eds) Advances in Signal Processing and Intelligent Recognition Systems. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 425. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28658-7_38

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• How to prioritize tasks in 4 steps (and ...

How to prioritize tasks in 4 steps (and get work done)

Tired of your never-ending task list and watching your priorities get pushed to the side? Learn how to create a task list, choose a prioritization strategy, schedule your tasks, and communicate with your team to increase productivity and get things done.

If you’re like most people, you usually start your workday with the intention of being as productive as possible. Yet, as the day rolls on, you find yourself fielding multiple urgent requests and watching your task list grow. What you initially set out to accomplish seems to get pushed to the side.

Create a task list  

Choose a prioritization method to organize your tasks 

Schedule your tasks in a calendar 

Communicate your progress to your teammates

Take a look at our tips below and use these steps to help you prioritize your daily tasks at work.

1. Create a task list

You can’t decide how to prioritize tasks if you don’t have a single view of everything you need to get done in the first place. This may seem rudimentary, but it’s something that’s often skipped in the rush to dive into projects. Instead, take the time to list out what you need to work on across all of your projects. Be sure to break down bigger tasks into subtasks to feel less overwhelmed.

Once your tasks are aggregated and listed, add additional information, such as:

The amount of time each will take to complete 

Level of importance or urgency

With all of your tasks in one place, you’ll be able to see an overall view of what needs to be done, get a sense of how much work you’re dealing with for time management purposes, and what most likely needs your attention now.

Don’t worry about organizing your tasks quite yet; just get them all in the same spot to start. Creating a master list of tasks is a crucial first step, because if you can organize yourself at the beginning of a project or quarter, it is much easier to stay organized for a longer period of time.

Asana tip: My Tasks is a feature of Asana that automatically aggregates all the tasks assigned to you in a single view. It serves as the master checklist that keeps you focused on the right pieces of work and allows you to organize and prioritize tasks based on due date.

2. Adopt a task prioritization method

How you ultimately prioritize your tasks will depend on the nature of your job and your personal work style, but there are common task prioritization methods that might work for you. Let’s take a look at a few effective methods for prioritizing tasks.

Eat the frog

The eat the frog method is not a literal suggestion, but rather a system based on a quote from the ever-wise Mark Twain. He said, “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning.” In the world of project management , that translates to tackling big or complex tasks first before moving on to less important or time-sensitive tasks.

Important tasks that serve the highest purpose and are tied to top-level objectives or OKRs should be first on the priority list when you start your day. Once you’ve eaten your frog for the day, you can slot in other tasks based on factors such as deadlines and feel less stress, since your most important work is already done.

Eat the frog example: Finish up that big presentation you’ll be making to the management team at the end of the week before you reply to emails, work on your review form, call clients, or iron out contract revisions. By diving into a big project before doing anything else, you won’t lose focus or get distracted by random tasks or questions, and you’ll be able to knock a big piece of work out more easily.

Eisenhower Matrix

Another prioritization technique, the Eisenhower Decision Matrix or Urgent-Important Matrix, starts by organizing tasks into four quadrants, based on whether they are:

Important and urgent

As a five-star general during World War II and then President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower was adept at making important decisions quickly, and came up with this method to help him.

This approach helps you decide:

What to do now (important and urgent)

What you need to plan for (important but not urgent)

What you may be able to delegate (not important but urgent)

What you can possibly delete (not important and not urgent) 

It is a great tool for prioritizing tasks, making decisions quickly, and staying organized.

Eisenhower Matrix example: A colleague has just sent you an email asking for help with a sales presentation. This request is urgent because it has to be done today, but is it important enough (to you) to postpone other work? 

Measure each of the tasks on your own daily list for importance and urgency to decide whether you can shift tasks to help your colleague, or if it needs to be deferred to later. Knowing your commitments also helps you say “no” when you need to.

ABCDE method

The ABCDE method is comparable to giving grades to your tasks, from A (very important) down to E (eliminate whenever possible). 

To use the ABCDE method: 

Take that task list you’ve created

Assign each task a letter value according to its level of importance, with A tasks being top priority and E tasks being low priority  

Tackle tasks accordingly 

This method offers a way to quickly weigh task importance to help you identify your highest-priority tasks. Make sure you’re always working on your A and B tasks first, because those are the ones that will make or break your success at work.

The ABCDE method also works well when combined with eat the frog. If you start your day off with your A and B tasks, then you can spend the rest of your day on tasks of lower importance, like C, D, and E.

ABCDE example: You have eight working hours available today, but fifteen hours’ worth of tasks on your list. When you give each task a letter, only two qualify as A tasks, and most are D tasks that you can delegate or reschedule. Now you know to focus only on those A tasks, and leave the D tasks until later or pass off to another team member. You’ve just gone from being overwhelmed to having a prioritized task list that focuses on the must-do items of the day.

Most Important Task Method

The Most Important Task (MIT) method is an effective and simple strategy for prioritizing daily tasks that have a significant impact on the whole business. Each day, MIT selects between one and three key tasks that need to be completed by the end of the day. These tasks are not just any to-do list items but are specifically chosen for their significance in advancing towards your long-term goals.

Incorporating at least one MIT that is relevant to your mission ensures that you take practical steps toward reaching it on a daily basis. Although you're likely to complete more than these selected tasks, focusing on your MITs from the start of the day and setting a deadline for them ensures that you set aside time each day to tackle tight deadlines and urgent tasks.

Most Important Task example: Consider an architectural firm where the day's MIT is to finalize blueprint modifications for a client’s project. Amid numerous important tasks, this particular MIT is chosen because it directly influences the project's timeline and client satisfaction. By setting this as the priority, the team ensures that, despite the whirlwind of daily activities and potential for procrastination, the most important task of refining the blueprints is completed by the end of the day.

For the chunking method , a chunk is defined as a focused work activity. It can be self-contained ( emptying your inbox ), a slice of a larger project (completing the first draft of a document), or a collection of small, unrelated tasks. Your key here is to make these chunks focused, uninterrupted blocks of time .

Turn off outside distractions and signal to others that you are unavailable by:

Taking advantage of features on collaboration tools like Do Not Disturb  

Using time blocking to reserve spots on your calendar for deep focus

Implementing a No-Meeting Wednesday policy for yourself and your team if you’re able to

Don’t forget to take breaks in between chunks to relax and refresh.

Chunking in action: You might start your day with one hour of design work followed by a coffee break. Then, two hours of scheduled meetings, lunch, and 30 minutes of email response time. Next, you move on to one hour of research for a new project.  

You note all of your activities in your calendar to hold yourself accountable and ensure no one schedules over your plan. You end your day by taking a short social media break, heading to the team update meeting, and then finishing with a final hour of design work.

Asana tip: If you’re using Asana to manage your tasks, you can create custom fields to add additional information, such as a letter grade (if you’re using the ABCDE method), urgency and importance (if you’re using the Eisenhower Decision Matrix), priority level (if you’re going to eat the frog), or estimates on how long it will take to complete.

Agile prioritization

Agile prioritization , also known as Scrum prioritization, is a flexible task management method that allows teams to respond swiftly to changing demands by categorizing tasks according to their value, urgency, and project goals. It's particularly effective in managing dependencies—tasks that are interconnected and may need to be completed in sequence.

Agile prioritization evaluates each item on your to-do list based on three criteria:

How critical is this task?

What is its relative importance to the other tasks on this list?

Is any other task dependent on this one?

Then, using the answers to those questions, you assign each task a number from one to n (where n represents the total number of tasks on your list).

Agile prioritization example: A software team designing an app decides that the user authentication system is critical because it impacts various other systems, such as profile customization and encrypted transactions. Prioritizing this system enables them to develop these interdependent features simultaneously. This strategic focus not only accelerates development but also ensures seamless integration of product-critical features.

3. Use project management software to schedule your tasks

When you're overburdened with tasks, project management software can streamline your day and categorize your to-do list. It allows you to keep track of your most urgent tasks and arrange your workflow so you can get things done without feeling swamped. This type of software allows you to categorize what needs to be done, mark key objectives or milestones, and delegate tasks to others as needed. It's all about making your workload easier to handle.

Project management software with calendar tool integration is particularly helpful. It provides a quick overview of all your projects and tasks, which is good for figuring out when you have a lot to do and when you might have some free time to tackle weekly tasks or anything else that pops up. Tools like Asana can show you this in a clear way, which helps with multitasking and making sure high-value tasks don't get missed.

Using a project management tool enables you to:

Balance high-value and high-priority tasks

Make sure you meet deadlines

Prevent scheduling conflicts

Manage your workload

Preserve work-life balance

If you’re adopting one of the prioritization methods above—or a combination of your favorites—use that framework to help fill your schedule and manage time.

Asana tip: Using the Calendar View in Asana, you’ll be able to spot days when you might be overloaded and also see open blocks of time. Take advantage of this view to shift tasks and spread your work out more evenly. When you proactively manage your calendar, you make certain important tasks receive immediate attention.

4. Communicate task progress with your teammates

Finally, don’t forget to loop in teammates who may be waiting on you to complete a task or vying for some of your time. 

Cut down on the amount of requests you receive by proactively giving teammates status updates on:  

Task progress

When you plan to complete a project 

Any delays or blockers that come up

Instead of constantly responding to requests, you can keep doing your work productively and efficiently.

Asana tip: Asana’s task comments feature lets you share updates and ask follow-up questions directly on a task to keep communication connected with the actual work you’re doing. Or, you can use status updates within a project to notify every stakeholder of your progress on a specific project, not just a task.

Prioritized work is productive work

When you clearly prioritize your work, you can increase productivity, better manage your time, and feel confident that you’ll hit your deadlines—every time.

FAQ: How to prioritize tasks

How do you prioritize work efficiently?

Prioritizing work efficiently involves evaluating tasks based on their urgency and importance. Begin by listing all your tasks, then assess each one for deadlines and their impact on your goals. Use tools like the Eisenhower Matrix to categorize tasks into four quadrants: urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and neither urgent nor important. First, focus on getting things done that are both important and urgent. Then, move on to things that are important but not urgent. Regularly review and adjust your priorities to reflect changes in deadlines or project directions.

How do I create a priority list?

To create a priority list, start by writing down all the tasks you need to complete. Next, assess each task for its urgency (how soon it needs to be done) and its importance (the impact of its completion on your goals or projects). Rank tasks based on these criteria, with tasks that are both urgent and important at the top of your list. Consider using prioritization techniques like the Eisenhower Matrix or ABCDE method to help structure your list. Finally, use time blocking to reserve space on your calendar to complete tasks in order of their priority.

How do I prioritize tasks?

To prioritize tasks effectively, begin by listing all your tasks, then rate each one based on its significance and deadline. You can also try the ABCDE method, where you categorize each task with a letter indicating its priority:

"A" for tasks that are critical and must be done.

"B" for tasks that are important but not as critical.

"C" for tasks that are nice to do but not necessary.

"D" for tasks that can be delegated.

"E" for tasks that can be eliminated.

Always tackle "A" tasks first, as they need immediate action and have the greatest impact on your long-term goals and deadlines. Use tools like to-do lists or digital planners to keep track of your priorities and adjust as needed.

Which task should be first priority?

The task that should be your first priority is one that is both urgent and important. Urgent tasks have impending deadlines that require immediate attention, while important tasks have a significant impact on your goals and projects.

Focusing on tasks that meet both criteria ensures you address critical work that contributes to your objectives, preventing last-minute rushes and the stress of missed deadlines. After completing urgent and important tasks, shift your focus to important but not urgent tasks to maintain progress towards your goals.

How Asana uses work management for project intake

Learn how Asana's PMO leaders streamline intake and prioritize the right work for the business.

Related resources

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How to align your team with a work schedule template

AC 1.4: The Scale of Technology within Organisations and its Impact on Work

Organisations have immensely benefited from the technological revolution even as some corporate actors point out to dangers present when technology appears to take off in a more accelerated speed much more than organisations can bear. The Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD) has consistently tracked the interaction of employees with technology placing the impact on organisations under focus (CIPD, 2020). One of the key takeaways is that technology has risen to the position of a partner to employees around the world. A workstation that required handwritten memo can now circulate memos through such tools as email, team-based digital platforms i.e Slack, TEAMS and WhatsApp groups. Web conferencing capacities now enable remote-based working processes. Facilities have access to technology that can accelerate the creation of more efficient applications and programs clearing the way for accelerated performance and a high value for money. CIPD’s 2020 report on employee experience around technology presents that a bulk of current people roles will be automated in a decade or so (CIPD, 2020). The automation implies a huge reduction on errors and a rise in reliability and delivery.

Employees have reported substantive changes in work execution after absorbing technology in their duties. CIPD reports that 32% of employees have reported changes in the use of technologies over the last one year (CIPD, 2020). About 505 of the employees surveyed by CIPD indicated the need to update their skills and match the outputs advanced by technology (CIPD, 2020). Organisations should interpret such findings to imply increased responsibility around facilitating more engaging workplaces for employees. For example, facilities should expose communication workers to consistent tool use training capable of empowering the employees into useful use of technologies. A member of staff in the communication department will not appreciate the value of web conference tools if they cannot understand mechanisms of using them.

Organisational stakeholders across various industries do promote the observation that too much workplace automation could lead to massive job losses for ‘conventional’ employees. The bulk of stakeholders promoting this position are unions, governments and employees. However, it is notable that automation amplifies efficiency and paves way of the rise of bigger and more vibrant institutions. Strengthening the institutions leads to widened opportunities. It is in the interest of organizations through their collective lobbies and associations to impress on employees that competitive industries imply increased openings. Further, technology keeps on expanding the entrepreneurial space. Start-ups offering technology support services are rising by the minute and the present extremely new workplace positions. More attention on technology-facilitated collaboration enhances organisational intersection and facilitates the insight necessary to illustrate new directions. Organisations appropriating resources towards showing employees how technology can qualify as a workplace partner are playing a right part in taking employees to the next level.

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Project Management

Task types & categories: how to organize tasks for a defined workflow.

March 4, 2024

Analyzing tasks is an integral part of a project manager’s duty. You start with a large pool of overlapping tasks of different priority levels and demanding different skill sets. Assigning these tasks across departments can be overwhelming, especially if you’re aiming to make your daily operations efficient.

To enjoy proper workflow assignment and accountability, project managers need to master task categories and task types. They help you break down your deliverables into tasks and subtasks and allocate work to team members based on their skills or project deadlines.

In this article, we’ll dig deep into task categories and types and show you how to organize and ace your work!

Bonus: We’ll break down the process of adding a new task type or category in ClickUp , an all-in-one project management solution. 

Task Types vs. Task Categories Explained [With Examples]

Importance of task types and task categories management, efficient organization, to-the-point resource allocation, transparent task relationships, process standardization, 1. research your project, 2. consult your team(s), 3. be open to reclassifications, 4. find a quality project and task management tool.

People often use task categories and task types interchangeably, but they aren’t the same thing. Technically, a task category is a universal set encompassing multiple task types. 

In other words, a task type describes a task’s characteristics on a micro level, while the task category is the macro concept. For example, you can create a task category called Team building . You can then add other task types to this category—for example, Find a venue, Order food , Send out invitations , and Allocate a budget .

The category describes the task’s nature, and all the tasks within it subscribe to that nature, ensuring there’s no confusion whatsoever. For example, “ Allocate a budget ” can be a super random task if you don’t know the context, which is team building in our example.

Both task types and categories are customizable.

Many project managers have task categories representing teams, like Design, Engineering, Marketing, and Sales. Task types within each category can represent the responsibilities of each team. For example, the Sales category can have task types like Communication, Forecasting, Goals, and Creating plans.

You can further classify your task types by priority, deadline, status, or another criterion that makes sense for your project. The idea is to make everything easily searchable. 

Tip: Most project management tools allow you to add tags to identify task types and categories. For example, if you’re using ClickUp, you can create, edit, and delete task tags to organize your work—all seamlessly accessible through Universal Search .

Classifying your tasks into types and categories may not make much sense if you’re working on something small-scale. But, as your project scales up, the number of tasks will multiply quickly, and this type of disorganization is the recipe for failure.

Besides supporting scalability , efficient task management is beneficial for:

• Faster task assignment and tracking
• Establishing accountability
• Setting priorities

Task types and task categories are essential to any efficient work breakdown structure (WBS). They help you deconstruct your project and divide it into smaller, easier-to-manage subtasks classified by type and category. Then, you can arrange task sequences and relationships to ensure coherent workflow order and minimize team misunderstandings.

If you’re a software development team using the system development lifecycle (SDLC) methodology , task types and categories are a must. These classifications help group your task flow into seven phases before, during, and after release:

• Development
• Implementation
• Maintenance 

These phases are your task categories, and you’ll set up different task types within each. That way, you’ll create a unique task hierarchy and a comprehensive overview that gives you maximum control over your projects.

However, classifying your tasks into types and categories is important not just in SDLC but in any project management methodology you choose. It helps you see the bigger picture and zoom in on details, find what you’re looking for in a few clicks, and optimize resources to prevent waste.

Pro tip: Preparing a hierarchical task flow? Use the ClickUp Work Breakdown Structure Template to save time. It comes with premade sections for organizing tasks, aligning team members, and tracking progress.

Understanding Task Classification in Project Management

Let’s go into detail to explain the role and importance of task classification in project management:

Swimming in piles of unclassified tasks can drain your and your teammates’ energy and lead to confusion and wasted time. By classifying your tasks into types and categories, you’ll turn yourself into an organization pro and ensure you can find specific tasks in a few clicks.

One of the biggest perks of organizing tasks into types and categories is understanding their nature. By grouping similar tasks, you’ll be able to properly allocate your resources , avoid holdups, and ensure your teams don’t step on each other’s toes. 

As you get more skilled at task classification, you’ll notice you can easily estimate a task’s length, priority, and budget, thus maximizing the success potential of your project plans.

Bonus: Enhance your task classification skills with visual aids! Use the ClickUp Resource Allocation Template to visualize resource availability and derive the most benefits from your people, materials, and budget.

Task classification allows you to create and manage task relationships to ensure your teams are working according to a set schedule. 

Let’s look at an example—say your task categories are Sales, Development, and Marketing . Within the Marketing category, you have task types like Design a website for client X and Optimize a website for client X . Obviously, you can’t optimize a website that doesn’t exist, so you’ll ensure that your team handles the Design a website for client X task type first.

Another way task types and categories can help you plan ahead and manage risks simultaneously is prioritization . You can create types and categories based on priority and guide your team to get high-priority, challenging tasks out of the way before addressing other tasks.

Properly understanding your task types and categories helps you identify what fits or doesn’t fit in a standard workflow for your team. The knowledge helps standardize all processes and ensure every team member knows exactly what to do and in what order.

In the long run, process standardization saves time, minimizes mistakes , and simplifies employee onboarding and training, so it’s definitely something you should take advantage of.

You can now identify processes that need to be standardized with the ClickUp SOP Template . This Doc template lets you define your task types and sequence of steps to improve collaboration and foster company-wide uniformity in processes.

4 Best Practices for Organizing Task Types and Categories

When it comes to organizing task categories and types, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. However, we have some tips and best practices that can help you out, especially if you’re new to task classification.

The rule of thumb for task classification is to know a project in-depth before breaking it down into tasks, types, and categories. If you don’t understand the project’s essence, classifying tasks into types and categories won’t help—in fact, it can actually slow you down and cause confusion across the board.

Explore and write down your project’s scope , deadlines, requirements, and goals to identify the right task types and categories that seem helpful in this context. Then, consider the criterion you’ll use for the classification. Some options are urgency, importance, team, time, cost, and approach.

Bonus: Use the ClickUp Project Scope Whiteboard Template to summarize tasks and activities, boost collaboration, and gain clarity on your project’s task types, milestones, timelines, and deliverables.

A demanding attitude won’t get you far with your team. Yes, you want the task classification to work for you, but you must also consider team dynamics , work styles , individual skills, and responsibilities. A smart solution here is brainstorming with departmental heads to create functional and logical task types and categories that complement the project.

As your projects expand, you’ll need to reconsider your organization of task types and categories to reflect changes to work complexity and scale. Regular tweaks and updates will help you pinpoint new task categories that should be tackled separately for greater efficiency.

You may have the best task classification initiatives, but they’re not worth much if you don’t have the tools to turn them into reality. If you want to create task categories and types that will help you and your team stay on course, you need a quality task management platform like ClickUp.

ClickUp is a stellar project and task management tool with functionalities that will not only help you classify tasks but also streamline collaboration and communication to keep teams lean and efficient.

Let’s see the options that make ClickUp an excellent choice:

ClickUp Tasks to set a task category or type and define workflows

ClickUp Tasks is a feature set that lets you create, organize, manage, and batch your tasks .

Let’s start with task creation—in only a few clicks, you can create tasks and subtasks to organize your work. ClickUp lets you select task types to manage different project requirements with ease. Some default options are Task, Milestone, Feature, Defect, and Customer.

You can choose an icon for each type to make it easier to identify and more visually appealing. If you don’t find what you’re looking for within the available task types, you can always customize your own . 🪄

To customize, use ClickUp Custom task types to represent different types of work related to categories like inventory items, customers, events, or your team. Creating a Custom task type is easy—you:

• Head to your Workspace settings
• Press Create Task Type
• Set the Icon, Singular & Plural Name, and Description fields
• Click on the Create Task Type check box

Ensure each Custom task type name is distinctive for easier navigation and organization.

Note: Only admins can create, assign, edit, and delete task types. Also, keep in mind that Custom task types are available only to users in ClickUp 3.0.

Leverage ClickUp Custom Fields and Task Priorities

The next option that’s crucial for task classification is ClickUp Custom Fields . In a way, these can be your task categories—they provide more info about each task and add context to the bigger picture.

You have 15+ Custom Field options to choose from. For example, use the Date Custom Field to add important dates to a specific task. Or, use the Money Custom Field to provide info like budget, expenses, or prices. With the People Custom Field, you can connect team members to specific tasks for easier navigation and reduced confusion. The Progress Custom Field helps you keep track of each task and identify issues early on.

Another option that makes task classification easier is ClickUp Task Priorities . With it, you can easily plan your next move and ensure your team knows what to tackle next. You have four priority flags to choose from:

• Red flag: Urgent; the person (or people) responsible for it should get it done NOW
• Yellow flag: High priority; get it done soon
• Blue flag: Normal; do it whenever you have time
• Gray flag: Low; do it at last

There’s more! If your projects involve a bunch of tasks that are repeated at specific intervals, you don’t have to create them from scratch every time. Instead, set recurring tasks in a few clicks and let ClickUp remind you of them automatically.

Another time-saving option is ClickUp Automations . Set triggers and actions, and allow ClickUp to handle repetitive tasks while your team focuses on more knowledge-intensive task categories.

ClickUp views to visualize a specific task type or category 

A multidimensional approach to task classification can uncover new insights and help you adjust your game, boost efficiency, and streamline workflows. ClickUp’s version of a multidimensional approach is ClickUp views —they let you observe tasks and projects from different angles.

The platform offers 15+ views , and you can switch them as you please, depending on what you want to focus on. If you want a general overview of your tasks and filter them effortlessly, use the List view . The Board view is a Kanban board that helps you zoom in on your project’s progress and classify tasks based on a specific criterion, such as status, priority, or assignee.

One of the more advanced views is the Gantt Chart . It lets you monitor and adjust timelines and tasks to reflect new developments, create dependencies, and keep a close eye on the project’s progress. Another advanced view is Workload . With it, you can review your team’s capacity for different functions or categories.

ClickUp Whiteboards to brainstorm task category names (or anything, really!)

We’ve mentioned that organizing task types and categories is a team sport. For that, you need a tool that encourages collaboration and communication. ClickUp Whiteboards is exactly that—it lets you and your team brainstorm, strategize, and turn ideas into reality on an infinite digital canvas .

This canvas gives you the freedom to express your creative side and collaborate with your team through text, drawings, shapes, comments, sticky notes, and attachments. Ask your team members for input on task classification, create a category name, and design project hierarchies . Every Whiteboard update happens in real time, so it’s perfect for hybrid and remote teams.

As each participant gets a cursor with their name on it, you can easily track who’s doing what.

Plus, you can create tasks directly on the Whiteboard and provide more context by linking them to files or other tasks.

User-friendly ClickUp task list templates

You don’t have to organize your tasks from scratch and waste time—why not use ClickUp task list templates ? These prebuilt framework documents offer a solid foundation for listing, organizing, prioritizing, and monitoring the completion of tasks and activities.

The templates offer clarity and customizability—you can adjust every element to align with your project’s scope and requirements and your team’s working style.

Task list templates aren’t the only ones in ClickUp’s collection. The platform offers a template library with 1,000+ options focusing on areas like marketing , finance and accounting , and personal use . Find your favorite, make a few tweaks, and enjoy your shortcut to success! 💪

ClickUp Brain to create an interactive repository of assigned and completed tasks

ClickUp merged task and project management with AI to create a revolutionary work assistant— ClickUp Brain . 🧠

This is one of the world’s first neural networks that learns everything about your company, projects, and tasks and acts as an interactive assistant to you and your team.

Your team members can use ClickUp Brain and its AI Knowledge Manager to get answers to their doc-, project–, and task-related questions, like what they should work on next or what the most urgent tasks are.

Besides answering questions, ClickUp Brain can be a decent assistant project manager. The AI Project Manager feature can write project summaries, get team updates, and build automations, all within a few seconds.

ClickUp Brain is also an avid AI Writer who can generate all kinds of documents, check spelling and grammar, and write audience-focused replies to messages. 

Create and Manage Task Categories and Types with ClickUp

Smart task classification is a vital skill for project managers who want to lead a successful team and deliver quality projects on time. But pure skill isn’t enough—you need a tool that supports it.

As a top AI project management tool , ClickUp has everything you need to create, organize, and fast-track tasks and efficiently collaborate with your team.

Sign up for ClickUp and enter the future of task management! 🌝

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How technology can assist with workforce planning

As the old saying goes, those who fail to plan, plan to fail. This is especially relevant for business leaders who must not only keep their eye on strategic, long-term horizons and the risks and opportunities associated with that, but also keep day-to-day operations ticking over smoothly. As COVID-19 demonstrated, it was those organisations that could quickly adapt their processes that survived and even thrived – proving that while plans are important, they also need to be adaptable and flexible.

Workforce planning is one of the most critical functions undertaken by HR teams, but it can be likened to fitting multiple jigsaw pieces together. It can be overwhelming without the right tools. Fortunately, technology can help.

What is workforce planning – and why is it important?

At the simplest level, workforce planning is the process an organisation uses to analyse its workforce and determine the steps it must take to prepare for future staffing needs. In a candidate-driven market, it’s a way of future-proofing your organisation and has multiple strategic and operational benefits. For example, workforce planning can:

Assist with employee engagement and retention, as staff resources are optimised and there’s less likelihood of employees either not having enough work or – even worse – having too much work, leading to burnout

Optimise the composition of the workforce – i.e. the mix of full-time, part-time, casual or contractor

Assist with identifying training needs and providing suitable career paths for employees. Bolstering the capability of teams while giving people opportunities to grow their skillset and ensuring they have a future in your organisation makes this a win-win scenario

Help HR professionals anticipate and stay ahead of change, while providing structure and certainty to the workforce

Provide a framework for making workforce decisions that align with meeting the strategic goals of the organisation – for example, expansion into new geographic markets, or merger & acquisition activity

Identify how future staffing and skill needs will be met – that is, via recruiting, development, internal deployment, succession planning, etc.

Workforce planning in deskless workplaces

Effective workforce planning is perhaps even more critical for roster-driven, shift-based (or “deskless”) workplaces such as hospitals or retail stores. Indeed, although it helps at a strategic level in terms of budget and resource allocations, it also helps at a functional, day-to-day level. Ensuring you have the right person/role in the right place at the right time, receiving the right pay, form the building blocks of successful workforce management in deskless workplaces.

Workforce planning enables HR and managers to be proactive with staff rosters or schedules to ensure talent surpluses and shortages are avoided. It’s also important to be able to react, communicate changes and deploy resources – both human and otherwise – in real time. This is vital in care industries, which may have mandated staff-to-patient ratios and other regulations that ensure employees have appropriate and fair breaks between shifts. Other industries may require at least one employee in a designated work shift hold a certain qualification.

A workforce plan and the associated activities of organising rosters, schedules and leave management can help HR build a better understanding of employee qualifications and experience, where and when they prefer to work, preferred non-work days, and so on. Building a “profile” of each individual worker is crucial for understanding how to motivate, develop and retain them in the long-term.

Finally, a workforce plan can help HR identify the most effective channels for sourcing talent. With talent shortages seriously impacting certain industries, having multiple talent pipelines will be important, including leveraging immigration options or taking on less experienced trainees.

What’s typically involved in a workforce planning exercise?

Regardless of industry, the same steps generally apply. These include:

Understanding the organisation’s strategic direction and its impact on the workforce

Analysing the current and future workforce needs and competencies

Analysing the gap between current and future needs

Developing strategies to address workforce gaps

Implementing strategies to align the workforce with future business needs

Evaluating the success of the workforce planning strategies in meeting objectives

For a detailed breakdown of each of those steps, and for more handy hints on how to optimise talent usage in your deskless workplace, download Humanforce’s workforce planning checklist .

What role does technology play in workforce planning?

Technology can help you schedule and manage your resources – including your staff members, rooms, equipment, and more. It can help you optimise the mix of full-time, casual and contract employees. Artificial intelligence can even help with forecasting, identifying employee flight risks and mapping out career paths – and the skills required – for high potential talent.

At an operational level, quality rostering software tools enable your organisation to create compliant rosters – on time and on budget – irrespective of staff location and work hours. They can also help you manage demand ebbs and surges.

Humanforce’s rostering and scheduling solution , for example, takes all your staff requirements, leave, staff availability and qualifications into consideration when building out rosters. This reduces the reliance on agency staff and the likelihood of being caught understaffed due to multiple people being on leave. Our templates allow for the creation of a base roster with a standard pattern of shifts, while Gantt charts make it easier to view who’s working where and when, ensuring shifts are never under- or over-staffed. The end result is seamless, compliant rostering, no matter the industry.

Compliance is another key consideration for effective workforce planning. The ability to manage employee qualifications is critical. For certain sectors such as health care or child care, employers must keep records relating to whether employees hold a range of qualifications to ensure they are eligible to work and that operational requirements are being met. This may include working with children checks, police checks, education qualifications, CPR, first aid and asthma management. Holding qualifications in Humanforce enables not just tracking and reporting but also the ability to send alerts when qualifications expire. Employees can be prevented from being rostered or clocking on for work – ensuring compliance is enforced.

Empowering workers is also crucial to their ongoing engagement. The Humanforce mobile app gives staff the ability to view their rosters well ahead of time and bid for extra shifts, ensuring you’re always covered and reducing reliance on agency staff, but also allowing staff to align their work schedules to their own circumstances. Managers can also use the app to stay in touch with one-on-one and teamwide messaging.

Using metrics and analytics for better workforce planning

A workforce plan is never static; it’s constantly evolving as resources change, company objectives shift, and the make-up and needs of the workforce evolve. In order to adapt and ensure your workforce plan is working effectively, tracking key metrics and analytics is vital.

This initially might seem overwhelming, and indeed, research from Gartner indicates that 58% of organisations say that a lack of relevant metrics to track progress is one of the top barriers to effective strategic planning.

It’s best to select three to five key metrics that matter the most for your organisation. Prioritise those areas that have the most scope for improvement, and then track them over time. Examples might include metrics associated with employee productivity, absenteeism, engagement, and health and wellbeing.

If you use just one metric, ‘scheduling match’ is the ideal metric for shift-based businesses such as restaurants and retailers. It can help you determine whether or not the number of hours worked is in line with the number of hours scheduled, giving you a measurement that relates to overstaffing and understaffing.

How to calculate:

Most technology platforms will have reporting functionality. One of HR technology’s strongest attributes is its ability to track and analyse large amounts of data. When it comes to workforce management, this means you can spot trends, such as late starts or cost overruns, and use these findings to improve your processes.  Humanforce’s Workforce Analytics features robust,  integrated metrics  that allow you to instantly see what’s really happening in your business, in real-time. With inbuilt reports including project costs, tardiness reporting, hours worked to hours rostered ratios, causes of unauthorised timesheets and more, you can make data-driven decisions aligned to your organisational and revenue goals.

Get in touch

If you want to speak to us about how Humanforce can improve the critical operational elements of workforce planning, including rostering & scheduling, time & attendance and leave management,  schedule a demo  or  contact us here .

Humanforce solutions

Humanforce is a leading provider of shift-based workforce management solutions that simplify onboarding, scheduling, time and attendance, employee engagement, and communication. Customers in more than 23 countries use Humanforce to optimise costs, realise compliance confidence, empower their team, and drive growth. Humanforce was founded in Sydney in 2002, and today has offices across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the UK.

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Project Work Plan Task Version 2

A service data object that captures task-related information such as planned dates, resource assignment, and effort.

QName: {http://xmlns.oracle.com/apps/projects/projectManagement/common/projectServiceV2/}ProjectTask

Relationships

The following table describes how this service data object is related to other service data objects or business object services.

The following table describes attributes in the service data object.

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• Public Health Infrastructure Grant
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Health Department Profiles
• CDC's Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) is a groundbreaking investment supporting critical public health infrastructure.
• The goal is to support health departments across the United States.
• One hundred and seven health departments and three national public health partners received funding through this 5-year grant (12/1/2022 - 11/30/2027)
• The purpose is to implement activities that strengthen public health outcomes.
• PHIG is a funding model that gives health departments the flexibility to direct funds towards specific organizational and community needs.

In January 2024, CDC awarded $4.35 billion through the Public Health Infrastructure Grant ( OE22-2203: Strengthening U.S. Public Health Infrastructure, Workforce, and Data Systems ) to help U.S. health departments promote and protect health in their communities.

The total award includes $4.01 billion for health departments and $340 million for three national public health partners.

CDC expects to award more than $5 billion over the 5-year grant period. This includes $4.01 billion for health departments and $340 million for three national public health partners.

The purpose is to create a stronger, more resilient public health system that is ready to face future health threats.

Recipient Health Department Profiles‎

Funding recipients.

Funding was awarded to:

• One hundred seven (107) public health departments in all 50 states, Washington D.C., 8 territories/freely associated states, and 48 large localities (cities serving a population of 400,000 or more and counties serving a population of 2,000,000 or more based on the 2020 U.S. Census). Award amounts were based on a funding formula that included population size and community resilience. As of January 2024, a total of $4.01 billion for health departments [$3.685 billion in fiscal year (FY)23 and $325 million in FY24] has been awarded. Recipient-specific information is provided on the Health Department Profiles .
• Three national partners that support the work of the 107 funded health departments. The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) , National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) , and Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) received a total of $340 million ($155 million in FY23 and $185 million in FY24) . These organizations provide training and technical assistance, evaluate the program, and facilitate coordination and communication across recipients and CDC.

Strategies and outcomes

The three strategies of this grant are Workforce, Foundational Capabilities, and Data Modernization. Recipients are expected to achieve several key outcomes by the end of the 5-year performance period (see image below). Ultimately, this grant will lead to accelerated prevention, preparedness, and response to emerging health threats. Improved outcomes in other public health areas are also anticipated.

All work done as part of this grant is grounded in three key principles:

• Data and evidence drive planning and implementation.
• Partnerships play a critical role in grant program success.
• Resources are directed to support diversity and health equity.

Recipient resources

Technical assistance ‎, phig project officer assignments‎, fiscal year 2023 funding‎, fiscal year 2024 funding‎.

CDC's Public Health Infrastructure Grant (PHIG) is a significant investment in America's public health system, directly supporting infrastructure (i.e., people, services, and systems) improvements within health departments.

For Everyone

Public health.