Project Management

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Did someone move the cheese?

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Jonathan Coleman Brooklyn, Ny, United States
Hi All,

Before i completed my Bachelor’s when I searched the words “project manager”, “project coordinator”, or “pmp” there were a lot of results. I just finished my MBA and now it seems as though there are not many results when I do the same search. However when I search “product manager/coordinator”, “program manager/coordinator”, or “agile” there are plenty of results, alluding to the fact that there is much demand for these roles.
It seems to me that the product manager, program manager, and project manager roles run parallel to each other to some degree in responsibilities, duties, and qualifications. Am I correct? And if so, can we chalk it up to changes in tech?

Are product manager and program manager, the new project manager?

Did someone move the cheese and give it a new name?

Thank you for your replies in advance.

(Thank you for your patience as well. You might realize that I am new to the community and to the field. Not trying to offend any project managers or anyone else for that matter. I’m just trying to understand current the job market and it’s trends.)
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Scott Theus Senior Project Manager and Agilist| BWX Technologies Euclid, Oh, United States
Mar 01, 2020 6:05 AM
Replying to David Portas
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Adrian is absolutely right about the scrum master role. A good SM should of course be a "servant-leader" - a facilitator and mentor, not a manager and not someone who tells the team what to do. However, self-organizing teams do vary in their capability and maturity and very often the SM is chosen because of his or her superior experience, skills and ability to lead by example. It's natural that some personalities have a tendency to be dominant among their peers but having teams that are self-inspecting and adapting is a good way to counter that and to channel energies in the right direction.
I agree that the Scrum Master is not a "boss" or a "manager" of a team, but the SM is absolutely a leader. The concept of a "servant leader" is ingrained in the SM; their responsibility is to clear obstacles, ensure the team works in an environment that allows them to be effective, address team dynamics, facilitate the relationship between the team and the PO, protect the team from outside distractions, and coach the team on using agile values and principles.

The Scrum Master leads from a position of Expert and reverent authority rather than Official, reward, or Punitive authority, but they do lead.
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Deepesh Rammoorthy ICT Project Manager ( PMP®AgilePM®Certified ScrumMaster® (CSM®))| Australian Red Cross Blood Service Tarneit, Vic, Australia
Feb 29, 2020 5:03 PM
Replying to Adrian Carlogea
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"[...] and a Scrum Master is added to lead the team and interface with the Product Owner"

Honestly I don't have much to say about this topic but I can't stop not commenting when people claim that the Scrum master should lead the team.

If the team is self-organized then "theoretically" nobody leads it. The Scrum Master should be just a facilitator. Why so many people claim that the Scrum Master is the boss and he should lead the team when the Scrum "theory" says otherwise?

Many people advocate Agile and self-organized teams but in reality most of them want to be bosses and give commands and orders to the members of the so called self-organized (some would call it self-managed team). :)
absolutely ! Scrum Master "guides" the team in ceremonies, helps remove impediments , facilitates conversations ...Scrum Master is not a Boss man and neither is a Scrum Master a team manager!
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Jonathan Coleman Brooklyn, Ny, United States
Thanks a lot everyone! Your answers have given me a lot of insight as to what we're dealing with as far as the job market, demand, and what would best equip me for the long-term.
Can I ask one or some of you to help me with this thread?

https://www.projectmanagement.com/discussi...ewbie-Questions

I'm just trying to get a point of reference. I appreciate it.
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