Selva VijaiBusiness Manager | IBMBangalore, Karnataka, India
I come across situation where project managers are challenged for technical details knowledge by technical team members. I think the title draws to the conclusion of many that project managers should be equally technical as engineers. What are your thoughts? How much of T is required for a project manager to add value to the team? Saving Changes...
Selva VijaiBusiness Manager | IBMBangalore, Karnataka, India
May 17, 2018 5:38 AM
Replying to Drew Craig
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I agree with Sergio's sediments. The PM is to be the project manager, not the SME. It is important he/she know's enough to understand the decision points, have the ability to facilitate conversations, and ask pertinent questions. The project team should be made up of the expertise that is required to complete the effort. The PM cannot be that/those individuals.
For example, on a project I had taken over, the PM was seen as the expert, while those on the project team were overshadowed and left without the client having a good sense of what they had to offer. It also set the wrong expectation at the team level that they looked to the PM for technical direction.
I agree... we should use the knowledge of the technical team members than PM playing that role himself. Saving Changes...
Selva VijaiBusiness Manager | IBMBangalore, Karnataka, India
May 17, 2018 10:40 AM
Replying to Kavitha Gunasekaran
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As a project manager, being of sound technical background helps but not always necessary to the extent of being an SME or the one who always provides guidance and direction technically to the entire team. Team composition and size also matters and it is the members who need to be experts, if not we need to rope in SMEs or Technical consultants to the project.
Though a PM being a strong 'T' has pros, a major con of a PM being an expert would be micro-management which may become counter-productive.
Yes, At times PMs estimate the task for the team.. Saving Changes...
Selva VijaiBusiness Manager | IBMBangalore, Karnataka, India
In my opinion, it doesn’t make sense to have PM deeply technical as technical engineers where he has a team offering solutions and has the skill sets. Having an understanding of technology and ability to translate technicalities into business language for everyone to understand is important for a PM. Saving Changes...
George FreemanThought Leader | Author | Architect| Florida, United States
My belief is that all project team members on a technical project should have “business and technical architectural awareness”, as this creates a conducive environment for collaborative efforts and reduces risks related to communication as a whole.
This is especially true for the PM, as an “architecturally aware” project manager can add Functional and Technical value to the team without being an engineer, as they will be able to assist in “challenging out solutions” through the understanding the “problem space” (e.g. the flow of data, life-cycle knowledge, etc.). Saving Changes...
Michael DelaneyPartner| Delaney Management LLCWest Chester, Pa, United States
I have to agree with the consensus that you should have enough technical ability to understand and assess the technical aspects of the project but not necessary to be a SME. A technical background also helps with communicating and relating with the technical team members Saving Changes...
Anish AbrahamPrivacy Program Manager| University of WashingtonAuburn, Wa, United States
In my experience project manager should have good technical knowledge, which means expertise to understand the fundamental concepts and language used by the project team, which are required to manage that particular project. Anyway that does not mean that the project manager needs to be an SME , but they do need to be able to interact with and have productive conversations with the experts in the project. Saving Changes...
Miguel Angel Vera ToroProject control analysis consultant| Independent several companiesSantiago, Metropolitana De Santiago, Chile
Buena pregunta, Manejar un proyecto implica, conocer el área o industria en donde se desarrolla, esto requiere de un tiempo. Después viene la mejora continua de todas sus habilidades y conocimientos. Saving Changes...
Selva VijaiBusiness Manager | IBMBangalore, Karnataka, India
Thanks everyone for your valuable inputs. Overall consensus is, it is must to have technical knowledge to understand projects progress, risks and communicate effectively with stakeholders. Appreciate your time and inputs. Saving Changes...
When I was reading this forum in the past there were other similar questions like this one.
While I am not a PM myself I have seen that PMs that have little or no knowledge about what the team members are really doing are simply helpless in their relationship with the team.
Having some technical knowledge is still not enough to be able to lead a team of workers. If the PM has never done the work the team members are doing then he can't lead the team. This is a fact that I have seen during my career in IT. I don't know about other industries.
A PM that is not also a SME would just ask questions (estimates, status report, etc) but would never give instructions or direction to the team members, how could he if the team members have much more knowledge than he does?
A PM that is not also a very good technical expert can only be a facilitator or coordinator but never a project team manager.
On the other hand a PM with good technical knowledge but who is not also designated as the project technical lead can end in conflict with the other technical experts on the team upon which he has no formal authority. So if the PM is a good SME he must also be the technical lead in order to be able to give direction to the team.
So I guess it is better that the PM to have absolutely no technical knowledge rather than being a very experienced technical expert but with no technical lead authority. Saving Changes...
