I'd say that it depends. It depends on the project, the company, the needs that they have. Personally, I do not think that having a technical background is a massive asset in comparison to having solid project management skills. I think in the long term it levels out but if you're doing a very highly technical project or you're working in an industry that requires that knowledge then obviously a lot of technical skill is a pre-requisite Saving Changes...
I agree with Emily. Many organisations require a PM to have specific technical background and expertise to manage core technical projects or products whereas if a PM is going to do only PM work then an exposure and understanding of technical stuff would be sufficient enough.
PM with a broader range of technical background and some specialised tech skills are preferred more. Saving Changes...
Drew CraigSr. Agile & Product Coach| VanguardPhiladelphia, Pa, United States
It depends. But I'll start with just enough :)
Technical could also mean different things, right. Technical in the aspect of domain expertise; Software Development, Implementation, etc. It can also be used to mean within your own space, in this case, project management; the tools and techniques used. Saving Changes...
Eric SimmsSenior Program ManagerBaltimore, Maryland, United States
A PM can range from technical to completely non-technical. I've seen a few job postings for PMs that specifically mention that the candidates need to be non-technical.
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1 reply by Adrian Carlogea
Aug 20, 2018 4:32 PM
Adrian Carlogea
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It's hard for me to believe that those jobs specifically ask for the candidate to be non-technical. Yes many jobs say that technical background is not required but I think it is foolish to reject a candidate just because he is also technical.
I mean if a candidate has very good project management skills and is a perfect match for the job would you reject him just because he also has some additional skills that are not required? In my opinion you have to be stupid to do such a thing. Yes don't take into account the technical skills but don't penalize the candidate if he has those skills. Just ignore them.
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Cheikh FAYE Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Expert, CEO and owner| Eurêka TechnologiesDakar, Senegal
As disruptive technologies are emerging on a very rapid speed and concern nearly every domain, every profession and every discipline, PM never mind their field of competency has to be somewhat technical in order to achieve his role. There are some kind of technical details a PM cannot delegate but accomplish himself. Saving Changes...
A lot depends on the expectations of the role of a PM and organizational PM maturity. While "some" domain knowledge is necessary, having too much could be a temptation for the PM to micro-manage or to spend more time "doing" than "leading".
Kiron
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1 reply by George Lewis
Aug 20, 2018 10:54 AM
George Lewis
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Kiron - good point.
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Tom MaffeiConsulting Manager: Technology and Delivery| RedaptCumming, Ga, United States
When I took the course for the PMP exam the instructor was pretty adamant that a PM should have "years of experience as an engineer" and people in the PM world should be well versed in the technical nature of the projects. I fully get why he thought this way and it makes sense. But I fully agree there are exceptions. Also, just so everyone is aware, not ever engineer could be a PM.
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1 reply by George Lewis
Aug 20, 2018 10:59 AM
George Lewis
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Tom - so what's your point exactly? must a PM be fully, partial, or non technical?
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Vivek BhatiaPrincipal| The Bhatia GroupOakland, Ca, United States
It's all dependent on your desired bill rate/salary, and how much industry expertise you have.
If you're not technical,you better have deep knowledge about a given industry.
IE, health care is highly regulated, tons of nuances. And the technical side has to address that. If you don't know the business well, and you're not technical, you're going to be little more than a secretary making secretarial rates.
Here's my example bill rates for 1) health care, 2)northern california, 3)contractor, not consulting. These are hourly, zero benefits, zero job protection. Either 1099 or corp-to-corp. This is out the door, agencies keep between 20%-50% (Scammier ones take more, but tons of scammy ones). If you have connections, you can either ink the contract yourself or go in via buddies who typically only ask for $10/hour to cover administrative expenses.
If you are neither technical nor business, companies might pay might $50/hour. If you can even get a job. They'll probably just promote a non-PM from within who's proven to be good at organizational skills.
If you're only technical companies pay $75-$120/hour based on your seniority level. But you're not uniquely valuable to the sector, so you'll have a ceiling.
If you're only business companies pay $90-$135/hour as there are fewer of you. Can't take a retail or finance PM and put them in healthcare at a senior level, given the lack of industry expertise.
If you're technical *and* know healthcare companies pay $125-$190/hour. Highest end reserved for those who know multiple fronts in health care (physicians, hospitals, insurance).
Consultants, aka those who come in to guide them to a better place vs contractors who purely execute, are $155-$240/hour at 40 hour weeks. Shorter term contracts or 40 hour weeks go to the higher end.
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1 reply by George Lewis
Aug 20, 2018 10:58 AM
George Lewis
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Vivek - interesting data, lead me read it carefully to understand it better!
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George LewisProgram/Project Manager| DXC Technology CompanyHeredia, Costa Rica
Aug 20, 2018 8:03 AM
Replying to Kiron Bondale
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George -
A lot depends on the expectations of the role of a PM and organizational PM maturity. While "some" domain knowledge is necessary, having too much could be a temptation for the PM to micro-manage or to spend more time "doing" than "leading".
Kiron
Kiron - good point. Saving Changes...
George LewisProgram/Project Manager| DXC Technology CompanyHeredia, Costa Rica
Are we saying that for us to manage a project, we have to understand the technical aspects of it fully?
This is an exciting topic because I thought that a PM did not have to understand the full technical aspect and be a "master" in project management processes and procedures. And not the other way around.
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1 reply by Tom Maffei
Aug 20, 2018 1:15 PM
Tom Maffei
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Fully? No.
But the teacher I had in the PMP class gave the perception that the PM should have done the technical type work in the past. One reason is so he or she could call out a line of BS from the engineers. Another was the PM role is a "promotion" for engineers that want to move on to something with more responsibility and requiring managerial skills. Again this was his opinion. But I understand why he feels this way.
