I have been in my current position (IT) for the last 3 years however I have been eyeing up an opportunity/career path change to have a better challenge and career prospects for the past 9 months.
Late last year I was approached by a project management team within the company for a role as an assistant project manager and was offered the position in Jan this year, which I accepted. I am due to start this role next month.
During my search for a suitable role late last year I also approached another team that deal with product innovations. It is a fairly new team and at the start of their venture but has big backing by the company. They provided me some encouragement that they would be happy to take me on if an opening was available however at that time they didn't have any openings but they would keep me posted.
This week out of the blue, I was approached by this team and now have been offered a role within the team. I informed them I have already been offered a role however they are still very keen to take me on as Product Implementation Specialist/manager (there is no exact JD for the role as its so new and will encompass areas of a specialist and manager)
I am trying to weigh up the pros and cons for each role and the safe option, I feel, is this Asst. Project Management role.
This is because I have had time to think about the role in great length and it was a big process in obtaining the role from interview stage to research etc. However the product innovations role is better paid, a more senior position however the career progression path is not really defined as well due to the nature of being like a start up. I will get exposed to many different technologies, senior members of the company and having sole responsibility to deliver new innovating products.
Pros for the PM role - Known Detailed Path to Career Progression (PM), Transferable Skill Set, Flexible Working (WFH), Know and Like Manager for 3 years, Know the team well, Exposure to different high profile Clients, department has been within the company for over a decade (stability).
Cons for PM role - Not as exciting as Product Innovation role, Lower Paid, Slow Paced At times
Pros for PIM role - Exciting Projects, Exposure to Execs in the company, Exposure to New Emerging Technology, More Money (big jump), Exposure to big Tech companies, More responsibility/senior position, Company backing/investment, I get on well with the hiring manager
Cons for PIM role - Self study will be required to get up to speed at a more rapid pace (more of a concern due to having a young family), Non focused skill set, No real job description due to the nature of the role being so new, Unclear Career Path, Far More pressure
For me my main priority is career progression so after 2-4 years, if I left the company I have a skill set that is transferable and I can continue climbing up the ladder. Whilst the pay increase would be nice for this new PIM role, I do not want to be in a position that in 1/2 years my skills sets are not massively improved and therefore struggle to find a new job outside the company.
Any help with you experienced folks out there would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you Saving Changes...
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Scott TheusSenior Project Manager and Agilist| BWX TechnologiesEuclid, Oh, United States
Hi Adam,
I've been in both roles. They are very similar, in my mind, since they use many of the same tools and techniques, still have to maintain scope, budget, and time, have regular involvement with stakeholders, etc.
As a PIM, however, I spent more time with the customer to figure out their needs, run gap analyses, negotiate contracts, etc. My job was to run the implementation of Point of Sale systems for specialty retail (think Gucci, Yves Sainte Lauren, Fossil,) which included hardware for the cash registers, software for payment systems and inventory, networking, and more. We were implementing the same basic components over and over, but each customer needed a different "flavor" with different hardware so it was never the same twice. Because of the customization I have more hands on work with the systems and worked very closely with the end user to gather requirements.
As a PM I spend more time managing task lists and ensuring people are assigned to the proper work, have the capacity, don;t run into roadblocks, etc.
The main difference between the two is that as a PM I focus more on process, governance, resource control, and stakeholder management (even, to some degree, in an Agile project as a Scrum Master.) As a PIM I focused more on interaction with the customer, the end user, the developers, testers, installers, and the rest of the team.
I hope that helps, if not let me know.
-Scott
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1 reply by Adam Salaam
Feb 08, 2020 11:18 AM
Adam Salaam
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Hi Scott,
Thank you for your detailed response.
In your opinion what role do you think has a better chance of career progression and transferable skill sets?
In my case the PIM will be for a start feel so I may not get a very structured learning curve with my skill sets.
Also which role did you enjoy most/give you the most stress and why?
I've been in both roles. They are very similar, in my mind, since they use many of the same tools and techniques, still have to maintain scope, budget, and time, have regular involvement with stakeholders, etc.
As a PIM, however, I spent more time with the customer to figure out their needs, run gap analyses, negotiate contracts, etc. My job was to run the implementation of Point of Sale systems for specialty retail (think Gucci, Yves Sainte Lauren, Fossil,) which included hardware for the cash registers, software for payment systems and inventory, networking, and more. We were implementing the same basic components over and over, but each customer needed a different "flavor" with different hardware so it was never the same twice. Because of the customization I have more hands on work with the systems and worked very closely with the end user to gather requirements.
As a PM I spend more time managing task lists and ensuring people are assigned to the proper work, have the capacity, don;t run into roadblocks, etc.
The main difference between the two is that as a PM I focus more on process, governance, resource control, and stakeholder management (even, to some degree, in an Agile project as a Scrum Master.) As a PIM I focused more on interaction with the customer, the end user, the developers, testers, installers, and the rest of the team.
I hope that helps, if not let me know.
-Scott
Hi Scott,
Thank you for your detailed response.
In your opinion what role do you think has a better chance of career progression and transferable skill sets?
In my case the PIM will be for a start feel so I may not get a very structured learning curve with my skill sets.
Also which role did you enjoy most/give you the most stress and why?
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1 reply by Scott Theus
Feb 11, 2020 11:57 AM
Scott Theus
...
Hi Adam,
Personally, the PM role fit more with my career goals. As much as I like managing projects in either role, In the end I enjoy working with people on process improvement and change management more. So, as a PM I've had the opportunity to learn Agile and Scrum in depth and apply it to my daily work, coach others, and begin an Agile transformation in my company.
A typical career path for a PM is from PM to Program Manager to Portfolio Manager to (hopefully) GM or VP. As a PIM my path was from PIM to Product Owner; there are probably opportunities to go farther, but not in the company I was in at the time. The GMs and VPs usually came from Sales or Marketing.
I also wouldn't say one was more stressful than the other; they were both stressful but in different ways. Both had vague requirements, unreasonable deadlines, limited resources, etc...all the typical pitfalls project managers face daily.
-Scott
Saving Changes...
Scott TheusSenior Project Manager and Agilist| BWX TechnologiesEuclid, Oh, United States
Feb 08, 2020 11:18 AM
Replying to Adam Salaam
...
Hi Scott,
Thank you for your detailed response.
In your opinion what role do you think has a better chance of career progression and transferable skill sets?
In my case the PIM will be for a start feel so I may not get a very structured learning curve with my skill sets.
Also which role did you enjoy most/give you the most stress and why?
Hi Adam,
Personally, the PM role fit more with my career goals. As much as I like managing projects in either role, In the end I enjoy working with people on process improvement and change management more. So, as a PM I've had the opportunity to learn Agile and Scrum in depth and apply it to my daily work, coach others, and begin an Agile transformation in my company.
A typical career path for a PM is from PM to Program Manager to Portfolio Manager to (hopefully) GM or VP. As a PIM my path was from PIM to Product Owner; there are probably opportunities to go farther, but not in the company I was in at the time. The GMs and VPs usually came from Sales or Marketing.
I also wouldn't say one was more stressful than the other; they were both stressful but in different ways. Both had vague requirements, unreasonable deadlines, limited resources, etc...all the typical pitfalls project managers face daily.
-Scott Saving Changes...
Luis BrancoCEO| Business Insight, Consultores de Gestão, LdªCarcavelos, Lisboa, Portugal
Dear Adam
Interesting esra your question
Thanks for sharing
After knowing well, what are the challenges and activities of the two functions, which is the best for your profile and the goals of your life in the medium term?
I can't speak for your job market, but Product related roles seem to be increasing, in mine. In my job market, most project managers advance to higher project manager positions; opportunities for advancement juts lead to more project management, unless you start consulting.
Based on your job market, which position has more opportunities AND opportunities for growth? Do you know where you want to be 20 years from now, and which career is more likely to get you there? For example, if you want to end up in leadership, the trend has been that it is more likely to happen through the product side than the project side. I can't say whether that will change.
In summary, I can't tell you which position to pursue. You need to understand your company, the current job market, current trends and how they may be changing in your job market, where you want to end up, and which path is more likely to get you there.
You may also find that where you want to end up changes, over time, as you gain experience. Best wishes! Saving Changes...
Jason BarkerProject Coordinator IV| MerckCarteret, Nj, United States
Hi Adam,
I wish I wldve seen this a long time ago, I'm curious to what path you chose. I'm at a similar crossroads myself. Saving Changes...
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