Generally speaking, an implementation manager is a professional responsible for overseeing the addition of new products, services, or technology into a business's operations. For example, a product implementation manager is a professional who performs research regarding how his or her company should market and price new products for the best results. An information technology (IT) professional who manages implementation, on the other hand, might be responsible for designing the architecture of new business systems and testing new software to ensure optimal performance. Implementation managers are often project managers, meaning that they are responsible for overseeing projects that might last for predetermined periods of time, as opposed to department managers, who oversee the same processes for the duration of their careers.
A manager who is assigned to product implementation might begin by meeting with designers, engineers, and marketing professionals to learn about a product's features and audience. An implementation professional might then perform further research to develop a more specific plan. As he or she develops new strategies, an implementation manager might continue to meet with representatives from different facets of an organization to develop a product and related processes while taking all of an organization's operations into account.
It is also common for this kind of implementation manager to work directly with clients. For example, if a manager is helping a business to introduce software to client businesses, he or she might work with client IT professionals to implement new products and to ensure that functions are satisfactory. As he or she learns about new problems and potential setbacks, a manager might call meetings with relevant staff members to develop new strategies that provide solutions.
An implementation manager also can describe a professional who improves an organization's interior processes. In other words, instead of developing products that are sold to clients, he or she might function as a project manager, implementing new software or processes to improve the company's operations. In most cases, this kind of implementation manager is a professional who has been in a company for a number of years and who is very familiar with a relevant department or particular process. It also is possible for this kind of manager to be a contracted third party.
This kind of implementation manager commonly is an IT professional who installs new software. It is also common, however, for this kind of management to be necessary when executives decide to try new management or business models. Some responsibilities of these implementation managers include budgeting, negotiating related contracts, and training employees to use new systems.