Categories: Career Development
PM roles are diversifying, don’t you think? I’m friends with technical leads, delivery managers, implementation managers, and people with all kinds of job titles. You might know people with the title of delivery lead, or value manager. Transformation manager or portfolio integrator, systems integrator, things like that.
And that’s a good thing, if you’re in the market for a new role but I can imagine that it also creates anxiety – what does it mean for us if we stick with ‘project manager’ as a job title?
Why roles are fragmenting
I mean, I’m not in the room when people come up with all these job titles, but I’m thinking that roles are splintering off because we’re working in ever-more complex delivery environments. All the benefits-adjacent and value-type roles might be coming about because of outcome-focused funding. And of course, we’ve lived with cross-functional teams for a long time, but the need for hybrid roles and specialisms might be because we’re settling into what those cross-functional roles might look like.
Skills that travel well
If you’re looking at these PM-adjacent roles and thinking maybe you want to leap into one of those other job titles, then the same classic skills that help you as a project manager will help you in those delivery roles too. Think:
- Systems thinking
- Communication (obviously, in all roles)
- Decision framing
- Being comfortable with ambiguity.
Preparing for a new role
Whether you are slightly worried that your role might evolve into something that you aren’t quite ready for, or whether you are actively seeking a new role with a modern, trendy job title, you can prep.
For example, think about skill stacking. Is there something new you can learn that will help you build a portfolio of skills? Where do you currently have gaps? As we’re half way through 2026 this is a good time to be reflecting on where you have shown strength in your skills so far and where you might want to build your performance.
I’m not someone who is keen on spending a lot of time developing skills in areas where you know you have a distinct weakness, where that gap can be filled by someone who has more skills (and interest) than you. For example, I’m not the best at finances (partly why I started this blog, to get more experience and knowledge about project financial management) and I’ve developed skills over the years, but I’m never going to be an accountant or super comfortable with the numbers. I have to put a fair amount of work into understanding the project figures. So
I could spend a lot of time doing maths-based training, but equally, I could get myself to a decent level – and I think I’m there – and then lean on my qualified, financially-literate business experts to help with the rest of it.
So the point of telling you this is for you to think about how best to spend your personal development time. You can skill stack and improve your current skills, but be judicious about how you spend your time so you get the most impact for the investment.
You can also say yes, selectively – that means not agreeing to everything that is asked of you (where you have the option to also say no, and we know that isn’t always the case with “opportunities” presented by management). Think about what you are taking on that will help you develop your skills, and what won’t necessarily help you. It could be skills development, but opportunities also come with the chance to expand your network or learn about a different business area, and that is equally valuable.
When you’re ready to move roles, whatever job title that position might have, you’ll be able to show you have the breadth and depth of experience to evolve your career in a way that feels like a natural evolution, not a huge jump.
What skills are you going to focus on building for what’s left of this year? I’d love to know, so share in the comments below and we’ll see if others can be inspired by your example.
Posted on: July 15, 2026 12:00 AM |
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