The Background of an IT Project Manager
Posted by Brad EgelandI am prompted to post this topic by a posting on AllPM that I read a couple of years ago and it came back to me recently.
What type of background, experience, skill set, etc. makes for a good IT Project Manager? Can an individual be say, a successful marketing person and step into the role of IT Project Manager? How about an HR person? An engineer? A customer service rep or manager?
All these positions require a few similar skills as ingredients to success. Communications skills, knowledge of the organization, some type of organization skills, the ability to relate well to individuals inside the company and hopefully outside such as customers. But will they likely be successful Project Managers in an IT organization or in an IT role in the long run? Not likely.
Any of us who have been application developers or work closely with developers (both, in my case) know that they are a different bunch. They must be reined in often. Their priorities are not necessarily your priorities (as the PM). They don’t report to you. You don’t give them their performance reviews or raises, though you may have a say in how they are rated.
You must gain their respect – or at least tolerance – in order to be successful in your role as the IT Project Manager. Without that, they will likely work on their priorities, ignore yours, miss deadlines and you will be cut off at the knees.
Recently, a friend of mine who was a Program/Project Manager for a company I used to work for informed me that he has been out of a job for awhile and is actively looking for PM opportunities. His concern with consulting in a PM role was that he has always been frustrated by a lack of control over the developers on his projects and felt that gave him no confidence in job stability – let alone success in a future consulting role. Well, guess what? He did not have a background in IT before moving into a Project Management role.
Another company I was at required PMs to present their projects to a Technology Council for review at a go/no-go decision point. The PMs with no real IT background before taking over the PM role were repeatedly sent back for more information – and repeatedly frustrated as well.
IMO, it is imperative for success as an IT Project Manager to have some level of IT background in their career path. It has definitely helped me be a more successful Project Manager as well as a better and more respected leader of technical resources on my teams. Developers see through the fluff….but when they realize that you come from a similar background and understand their needs and concerns from a project perspective you often instantly gain new respect and compliance from them.
Keep in mind I’m talking specifically about IT projects only, not all projects in general. Maybe this isn’t an issue at most companies, but it has been an issue in several companies I’ve been involved with. Many characteristics go into making a successful Project Manager beyond just technical knowledge. I’m also certain there have been IT PMs who have succeeded with no previous IT experience. However, as I’ve described above, I have witnessed PM frustrations first-hand at several organizations where the individual was trying desperately to manage technical resources without the development or even general IT background that helps them to better understand the issues being encountered by their technical team members.
One final thought on this subject which affects another critical area of PM responsibility – pricing and estimating. The IT Project Manager who has previously been a developer or played some other technical role will find it easier to ‘ballpark’ prices for customers and estimate change orders for new work required on projects. The first-hand knowledge from their earlier days will help the IT Project Manager estimate and price change orders and ‘sell’ that effort to the customer. I know it has helped me on nearly every project that I have led.
Related posts:
Alex HH says:
This article misses a big piece of the PM work. It is also important to study how the project team members evaluate their PM. Furthermore, it is based solely on how IT PMs handle a development team.
There are a lot more to consider before trying to answer if a non-IT person can be a good IT PM. Vendors & stakeholders management requires a lot of leadership and a tad less of development or technical background. Because of the broad range IT projects’ objectives and context can be made of, it is not obvious the answer is a straight ‘yes’ or ‘no’ as this article tries to demonstrate it.
Brad Egeland says:
Alex- this is a very good response and I don’t disagree with you. I was writing it more from my own experience. Smaller projects definitely require the PM to be very involved with the development team. And having the development or detailed IT background has been very helpful for me in these types of situations as well as for other PMs I have encountered.
However, I have also led many projects of $1M or more in revenue and I have found it very helpful on those projects as well. It may be that I’m very hands-on (not to be confused witha micro-manager which I am not), or it may just be the types of projects I’ve led and the demands of the customers, but my involvement with the development staff, development manager and other technical support personnel has generally been pretty heavy on all projects of all sizes that I have led. And I have found from my own personal experience that the technical background has been very beneficial to me in gaining their respect and cooperation throughout the project.
Jerry Flach says:
I have found it’s very important for the PM to understand the business, its needs, and processes and be able to help developers see how their effort aligns with these goals and the goals of the organization. In a true sense the PM must also be a Business Analyst and I say visa versa as I’ve always had to wear both hats. Also if the organization or entity values the art and science of Project Management great if not, and this is one’s bailiwick, then I say move on! BTW if you are moving on, PM skills are sorely needed in advancing the green economy!
Rebecca Porterfield says:
I agree with Jerry in that understanding the business is as important as understanding how technology will help it. As an IT PM, I view myself as the bridge between business and IT – helping technology understand the business drivers and helping business understand the technical hurdles. Having an IT background definately helps!
Does anyone know if it’s the same for other fields? If someone is a construction PM, do they need to have actually worked construction to be successful? Or is this background knowledge bump unique to Technology.
Den says:
@Rebecca
I don`t have any experience with construction :) but for sure i know that you have to have at least some previous experience within the field that you have to manage. If not for the practical implementation than you’d definitely need in order to build more confidence and reputation within your team.
Patricia Sibilia says:
Because a key requirement for good project management is the ability to identify gaps, either in effectively being able to meet the business need or in fulfilling it, I would think that an IT PM must understand the technology enough to see these where individuals on the team may miss them, and vice versa, must understand the business as well. Typically the PM is the sole individual who has the complete picture, so what sets a great PM apart from a mediocre one is their ability to understand both the development and delivery process as well as the business processes. I would suspect this would be true not just for IT PM success, but across all industries and would welcome the opportunity to hear more on this from experienced PM who are in non-IT fields.
Peter Guzman says:
This is a great Site.. I have read through some of the articles and thoroughly enjoyed them all. I’ve been in IT for 30 years and yet everyday I learn something new or get reminded about something that I have not practiced. So these articles are not only informative, but also serve as “REFRESHERS” … Thank You..
Bruce Blanton says:
As alluded to in other posts, it depends on whether you are expected to be a leader on the project, responsible for making decisions that affect the final product. If one lacks an IT background, one might find it difficult to perform the following tasks:
Risk Management – You might not see the train coming that runs you over. If you have witnessed previous technology Armageddons, you know what the early signs of disaster are.
Quality Control – Your job is ensuring that the technology fits the business need. You must understand both sides of the equation, and be able to judge whether the technology product is adequate.
Problem Solving – It certainly helps if you can actively contribute to quickly solving problems as they arise by asking the right questions based on your knowledge of the technologies involved.
Integration – You must ensure that all of the pieces of a technology solution fit together. This requires some knowledge of their interdependencies.
Team Building – In my experience, technical folks are famous for disrespecting and/or ignoring PM’s who do not speak their language.
Decision-Making – Trade-Offs usually need to be made in adjusting time, cost, scope, and quality. You may need to get creative to preserve as much functionality within the other constraints. You can make better decisions if you understand the real possibilities.
If the project at hand involves a high-budget, fast-tracked project for a mission-critical application, I would advise a non-IT person to steer clear of that project. I honestly believe it would have the potential to be a career killer. In other situations, it would become imperative to find one or more trusted technical advisors that could help you perform the tasks above. You must also make time to learn as much about the technologies involved as you can.
Traci Bryant says:
I am an IT Sr. Project Manager/ Program Manager and I am not sure if I qualify as having a technical background. After 15 years in IT, I have been thrown at everything from IP address management projects to credit card security and come up aces. Therefore, if someone out there reading this also has no IT credentials to their name, do not let that stop you. Yesterday, I wrote part of an architecture document on a topic I have not done before – identity management.
IMHO, it takes listening like you have never listened before. And, maybe it takes an organization that accepts the role of a PM is to help. Maybe it takes some humility to be willing to sit and take minutes for a technical meeting to gain the IT insight needed. But, I am here to say it is possible to be successful without having gone through the “developer” stage. I think developers generally make terrible PMs because they get too detailed. This job is about managing up, down, and all around. No reason to think that requires an IT degree. When it comes to the technical stuff, keep your ears open and mouth shut and you should learn something from others.
As for the thought that it doesn’t mean you lead, who is to say that every decision needs to be made by the PM? Why can’t others suggest the decision and you support it? It’s teamwork, right? So, lead, follow or partner as needed. And never, ever let your background hold you up.
Jim Kellams says:
Traci, you nailed it! Thank you!
Bruce Blanton says:
It is not a question of credentials, but of experience. I do not believe in the priesthood of the IT specialist. I have led numerous projects in which I had no prior knowledge of the core technologies. But experience with other technologies allowed me to quickly learn what I needed to know to lead these projects, and I got lots of help from smart IT people. I have no IT degree or really any training in any specific discipline – I taught myself each technology as it came along. So I am not discouraging anyone from seizing the opportunity as it presents itself – if I can do it, anyone else can. But I do believe that a person lacking any experience with IT is running a real risk in attempting to manage the implementation of a complex mission-critical application – there are simply too many things that can go wrong. On more than one occasion, I have seen real disasters occur as a result of the lack of technical leadership. Perhaps my experiences are anomalous, but they are all I have to go on. My apologies to Traci if it seemed that I do not believe she could be successful – smart people can always overcome any obstacle. But perhaps her 15 years of experience in IT had something to do with it.
Brad Egeland says:
I completely agree. I don’t think someone has to have an ‘IT degree.’ Traci’s 15 years of IT experience definitely put her in a great position to interact with IT personnel of all levels and lead with the respect, acceptance, and assistance that she deserves. My original premise for the article is that a person moving into a PM role with basically little or no IT background will find it extremely difficult to lead a team of IT professionals – especially developers and a particular DBA that I used to work with – and have their respect, support and obedience (not sure if that’s the right word, but it feels right at the moment).
Peter Guzman says:
Traci, great analysis…. I agree.. Over my 30 yrs, I have never walked into the position being a guru on the subject matter…
What you said here is well put… OLE !
When it comes to the technical stuff, keep your ears open and mouth shut and you should learn something from others. As for the thought that it doesn’t mean you lead, who is to say that every decision needs to be made by the PM? Why can’t others suggest the decision and you support it? It’s teamwork, right? So, lead, follow or partner as needed. And never, ever let your background hold you up.
Five Signs You Aren’t Cut Out to be a Project Manager | Project Management Tips || Project Management, Collaboration and Knowledge Management Blog says:
[...] written an article on the Background of an IT Project Manager and I’ve written five articles so far on the Characteristics of a Project Manager. Here I’d [...]