Comments on: Project Management Career Path and Technical Skills http://pmstudent.com/project-management-career-path-and-technical-skills/ Helping new and aspiring project managers reach their career goals! Sun, 14 Mar 2010 10:11:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/ hourly 1 By: jennifernavarro (Jennifer Navarro) http://pmstudent.com/project-management-career-path-and-technical-skills/#comment-11140 jennifernavarro (Jennifer Navarro) Sat, 11 Jul 2009 08:03:06 +0000 http://pmstudent.com/?p=1935#comment-11140 <strong>Twitter Comment</strong> <a href="http://twitter.com/jennifernavarro" title="Twitter Comment" rel="nofollow"> <div class="ccimg1" title="jennifernavarro (Jennifer Navarro)" style="float:left;margin-right:10px;padding:0;width:60px;height:60px;background:url(http://pmstudent.com/wp-content/plugins/chatcatcher/picbg.jpg) no-repeat top;cursor:hand;"> </div> <div class="ccimg2" title="jennifernavarro (Jennifer Navarro)" style="float:left;margin-left:-70px;margin-right:10px;padding:0;width:60px;height:60px;background:url(http://purl.org/net/spiurl/jennifernavarro) no-repeat top;cursor:hand;"> </div> </a> RT @pmstudent Project Management Career Path and Technical Skills [link to post]<br /><br /> - <a href="http://chatcatcher.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Posted using Chat Catcher</a> Twitter Comment


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]]> By: Carnival of Project Management #27 | A Girl's Guide to Project Management http://pmstudent.com/project-management-career-path-and-technical-skills/#comment-11137 Carnival of Project Management #27 | A Girl's Guide to Project Management Sat, 11 Jul 2009 06:53:38 +0000 http://pmstudent.com/?p=1935#comment-11137 [...] Nankivel presents Project Management Career Path and Technical Skills posted at pmStudent.com.  Good advice as always, from [...] [...] Nankivel presents Project Management Career Path and Technical Skills posted at pmStudent.com.  Good advice as always, from [...]

]]> By: Glen B. Alleman http://pmstudent.com/project-management-career-path-and-technical-skills/#comment-9265 Glen B. Alleman Tue, 05 May 2009 23:58:34 +0000 http://pmstudent.com/?p=1935#comment-9265 Bill and Josh, " taking your strongest technical experts and making them project managers is only occasionally the right choice." Is likely highly context sensitive. The Program Manager of Nuclear Safety and Safeguards, Rocky Flats is the world leader on the technology of sercuring Plutonium tailings from weapons recycling. The Program Manager of a $200M claims processing system we work on is the companied leading expert on doing medical claims processing using COTS ERP systems. The Program Manager for the manned spacecraft avionics systems is the Chief Engineer for the avionics on two previous machines and several Boeing 7 series airframes. 3 counter examples in specific domains, but the word "only" generally" needs a context to be effective. In all these examples the role of Program Manager was earned not granted. This is the fundamental failing in many of the examples on this thread. We a PM (project or program) "steps on the toes" of the engineers, that person is not qualified for the role. Her technical skills are not the issue, the management of the project with those skills is. James Brown's book "The Handbook of Program Management," shoudl be mandatory reading of any PM in a technical discipline. Bill and Josh,

” taking your strongest technical experts and making them project managers is only occasionally the right choice.”

Is likely highly context sensitive. The Program Manager of Nuclear Safety and Safeguards, Rocky Flats is the world leader on the technology of sercuring Plutonium tailings from weapons recycling.

The Program Manager of a $200M claims processing system we work on is the companied leading expert on doing medical claims processing using COTS ERP systems.

The Program Manager for the manned spacecraft avionics systems is the Chief Engineer for the avionics on two previous machines and several Boeing 7 series airframes.

3 counter examples in specific domains, but the word “only” generally” needs a context to be effective.

In all these examples the role of Program Manager was earned not granted. This is the fundamental failing in many of the examples on this thread. We a PM (project or program) “steps on the toes” of the engineers, that person is not qualified for the role. Her technical skills are not the issue, the management of the project with those skills is.

James Brown’s book “The Handbook of Program Management,” shoudl be mandatory reading of any PM in a technical discipline.

]]> By: Josh Nankivel http://pmstudent.com/project-management-career-path-and-technical-skills/#comment-9223 Josh Nankivel Mon, 04 May 2009 16:26:42 +0000 http://pmstudent.com/?p=1935#comment-9223 I think that is very well said Bill. I like the clarity you brought to the table with the understanding/skill distinction. Thanks! I think that is very well said Bill. I like the clarity you brought to the table with the understanding/skill distinction.

Thanks!

]]> By: Bill Duncan http://pmstudent.com/project-management-career-path-and-technical-skills/#comment-9215 Bill Duncan Mon, 04 May 2009 10:51:36 +0000 http://pmstudent.com/?p=1935#comment-9215 Glen and Josh -- I think we are mostly in agreement. I would always prefer a PM who has deep UNDERSTANDING of the technology or technologies involved in the project. But understanding is not the same as skill. In the same way that a great player won't always be a great coach or manager, taking your strongest technical experts and making them project managers is only occasionally the right choice. Duncan Glen and Josh — I think we are mostly in agreement. I would always prefer a PM who has deep UNDERSTANDING of the technology or technologies involved in the project. But understanding is not the same as skill. In the same way that a great player won’t always be a great coach or manager, taking your strongest technical experts and making them project managers is only occasionally the right choice.

Duncan

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