Which project manager would be more successful? Why?
A) Advanced PM skills + Average technical skills
B) Advanced technical skills + Average PM skills
C) Average technical and PM skills + Advanced soft skills Saving Changes...
A is the perfect answer. by the time, you become PM you acquire most of technical skills and you need management skills to control things
The problem is that if you don't have very good technical skills you can't really control a project. With average, low or no technical skills at all you can just track, report and raise issues but you can't take corrective measures by yourself. You must ask others to take such measures.
For me a PM without very good technical knowledge and who is unable to do the main work by himself is like a pilot that flies an airplane on autopilot. If he disables the autopilot such a PM would not be able to fly on manual mode and would crush the plane once the autopilot is disabled.
If the autopilot, that is the technical expert, makes mistakes the PM can only watch how the plane crashes without being able to do anything about it. Eventually he could ask for another autopilot in the hope that it would be better. :) Saving Changes...
Henry HattenrathProject Consultant| Tectonic Engineering MSA LLCNew York, Ny, United States
Oct 12, 2018 8:01 AM
Replying to Abolfazl Yousefi Darestani
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Thank you all for your responses. It seems that most of the answers are "A" while in the marketplace and in practice, employers usually prefer to have "B" type project managers. This is probably a challenge between "Knowledge" and "Practice".
While responses continue, it appears that A) is selected by PMI professionals. B) is selected by voting members representing an Owner/Client or consultants proposing on PM service contract. C) is selected by Client or Consultant with lessons learned on projects showing a success factor is using soft skills to create superior project team performance. Saving Changes...
ABDULRAHMAN KHEDRConstruction Supervision Project Manager.| Saudi Consolidated Engineering Company ( Khatib and Alami)Mecca, Taif, Al Hawiyah, Addahhas, Saudi Arabia
i think A Saving Changes...
Ashleigh Kennett-SmithICT Project Manager| Australian Red Cross LifebloodAdelaide, South Australia, Australia
First, I would suggest that a truly advanced (skilled) PM would have advanced soft skills. Second, the bottom line is that the PM is delivering the project not the products and my understanding is that these are not the same thing.
The problem is you can't de-risk everything, which to some degree is what this question is attempting do. (I personally wouldn't take on a project too far outside my technical experience - so maybe I'm self limiting around B.)
Otherwise I think it depends:
Cookie cutter project? C?
Difficult environment (people, culture, political etc)? A/C?
Highly technical specialist project? B?
I would expect that an experienced PM would try to gain some technical knowledge and/but be prepared to get second opinions on technical matters. Saving Changes...
Andy TaylorNational Delivery Assurance Manager| Modis AustraliaSydney, Nsw, Australia
Remove the word 'Project' and you are left with the crux of the matter, i.e. management. A good PM needs to be a good manager who can Plan, Organise, Lead, and Control the three competing demands of Time, Cost, and Quality of delivery. A good understanding of relevant technical terminology is definitely a bonus, but it is more important to know what the technology can achieve, rather than how it achieves it. I often use the analogy of an orchestral conductor - it's more important to understand how each instrument can contribute to the interpretation of the score, than it is to be able to play every instrument. Saving Changes...
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
I would certainly choose A. Strong PM skills are key and average technical knowledge is very important in my point of view and it will be an asset for the project manager to make sense of the schedules, estimates, change orders and so on. Saving Changes...
Honestly, all your 3 points equally lead to successful PM but without any business acumen is really missing the whole lotta skill set. You should refer to PMBOK Ed6 page 56 and 57 about the PM Competences and Figure 3-2 The PMI Talent Triangle. Technical PM, Leadership and Strategic and business management. I agree with all this skill sets are essentially important and best practice for any successful PM, cos I have been practising for 10 years. There applies so perfectly even in career development. 2-cents worth. Saving Changes...
Annie IrizariCEO/Founder,Entrepreneur, Investor, Consultant| Core Community Housing, CS Professional Services Rio Rancho, Nm, United States
At the end of the day, it's a balance of all that's in the PMI triangle and then some at times, depending on the situation. When we ask it this way with only 3 multiple choices to choose from, we are limiting our line of sight and maybe even the bigger picture and definition of success??. These options to me show we are pigeon holing what it means to be successful and this is never the world we live as PMs or otherwise. For example, I completed 1 mil projects vs 10 projects, which one is successful has to start with define success first. In agile, define done. One person's success is another's failure....just another perspective... Saving Changes...
Deepesh RammoorthyICT Project Manager ( PMP®AgilePM®Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM®))| Australian Red Cross Blood ServiceTarneit, Vic, Australia
For me to be successful in Project Management, I would stick with C and continue to further improve on my Soft Skills
You have technical specialists to handle the Advanced Technical Skills required on your project.
As long as I understand the "Tech Speak" on a high level and understand the risks, issues , constraints and assumptions coupled with the "technical decisions" , I think I can run a successful project If i have advanced soft skills. Saving Changes...
Shweta PaiScrum master| ResMedHalifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
I would go for A because an advanced PM would also have great soft skills. A PM can only be as effective as much as they can get work done from the team. An advanced PM would try to tackle the root of the problem instead of going by the book. Saving Changes...
I think somebody should come up with a way to breed a very large shrimp. That way, you could ride him, then, after you camped at night, you could eat him. How about it, science?
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