How to move from IT programming to IT project management

Before their was software engineers their was coders. That is people who wrote code for an operating systems. The term software engineer has only been in existence since the formalisation of computer coding as a profession and this occurred when multiple coders were grouped together for a specific task and so this required the formalisation and documentation of their tasks thus a project. As I have said in previous posts the profession of project manager is a life long learning job so I am sure there a things that you may not be aware of that you will learn and pick up as time passes.

Adrian,

Although off the subject of Alison’s post, there is a difference between a Coder (i.e. Programmer-only), Software Developer, Software Engineer and a myriad of other roles. A programmer-only role is something you don’t see too much of anymore (thankfully), and is what I refer to as a “coder in the box”.

The main distinction between the Programmer-only role and the Software Developer is their concern scope. A Software Developer is looking at the complete system (i.e., the big picture) and is concerned to the end-state deliverable (and its requirements). Whereas, a Programmer-only is coding to meet the requirements of a specific work-area that has been given to him/her, there scope of concern is only that work-area and then their next work-area, etc.

Unfortunately, I still see “coder-in-the-box” roles, but these are normally in large organizations. Back in the day (70’s and 80’s), you would have hundreds of programmers in large rooms, who were happy if they got a few lines of code written and submitted to be compiled on the mainframe. Those days are past, but there is still a mindset that drives the need for programmer-only roles, especially when there is a highly structured custom framework in place.

Thanks for all of the advice thus far! I realize that being in software development isn’t all that helpful in becoming a project manager. I am trying to make a career switch because I don’t enjoy programming 40+ hours a week. Our team currently does not work with project managers. Our functional manager is responsible for cost and budget and the team is responsible for schedule, gathering requirements, communication, working with stakeholders, etc. Therefore, I do have some experience in some of the knowledge areas based on my current role.

I realize that I will likely have to take a pay cut and look into a junior role for project management but am struggling to find them in my area at this time. Hopefully something pops up soon.

In the mean time, I am working on my MBA which includes courses in project management and I passed the CAPM exam yesterday! Is there anything else I should be doing to make this career switch? Thanks!

My recommendations is forget about to get the CAPM. It is an entry level certification and will not help you. Go for PMP when you have the needed requirements. Regarding what you stated, take a close look to CMU SEI PSP and you will find the answers you need.

A noob question here: what are "CMU SEI PSP"?

No problem. It does mean Cargnegie Melllon University, Software Engeneering Institute, Personal Software Process. You can search for Personal Software Process and you will get the information.