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.) Saving Changes...
I've seen some companies that are having product managers run product-related projects, in part because they are doing product enhancements and maintenance at the same time. It probably varies by job market. Saving Changes...
Justus NScrum Master| BCBSTXArlington, Tx, United States
Most companies that develop IT solutions are shifting from being project based to more product-centric, thus, the shift from project managers to product managers, release train engineers etc. Saving Changes...
Scott TheusSenior Project Manager and Agilist| BWX TechnologiesEuclid, Oh, United States
Hi Johnathan,
Thank you for a thoughtful question. At least in IT, I do see a a shift in how organizations are managing projects. When I became a project manager my focus was on the development and implementation of software solutions for my customers; true projects that have a beginning, middle, and end, with heavy documentation and planning upfront.
Now, my responsibilities are shifting to managing products, not just projects, where a product goes through continuous improvements through a regular, shorter, release cycle anywhere from a 2 week sprint to a 1-2 month small version release (think version 1.2 to version 1.3 every couple of months, with a 1.2.1, 1.2.2, 1.2.3 etc. released at the end of every two week sprint).
In this format, the "program manager" and/or "product manager" become the Agile "Product Owner," the project manager either helps coordinate or becomes obsolete, depending on the framework, and a Scrum Master is added to lead the team and interface with the Product Owner.
I suspect that there will always be a need for a traditional PMP type project manager, although the roles and skills may change to focus more on product development rather than project management, while some of the planning, scheduling, performance tracking, etc of a project gets taken over by AI.
This seems to be proven out by some recent Gartner research; I attended a symposium last year on this very subject.
So...yes, I think the cheese is moving, and us mice have to learn and adapt so we don't starve.
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1 reply by Adrian Carlogea
Feb 29, 2020 5:03 PM
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). :)
Saving Changes...
Mikel HoganProject CoordinatorSouth Bend, In, United States
Hi Jonathan,
I think there are some "shifts" going on in the industry. I think the main roles and responsibilities are staying the same but maybe changes to the methodologies and and tools of the position may be changing some what. I haven't been in this industry long but I'm seeing a lot more Program Manager positions and changes from Waterfall to Agile methodologies. I think a lot of this is due to changes in IT. In an ever changing environment organizations will adapt and change. But the role of a manager leading a team to achieve a goal is the same even if the title is different. Ultimately, these are just tools to help organizations to become more efficient. The demand is very much growing but you might need to be creative in the wording you use to search for jobs. Hopefully that helps. Saving Changes...
While product-focused roles are appropriate for product-centric companies, outside of true product development companies, it is rare to find cases where there aren't both product and project-centric roles.
There are still lots of good jobs out there for qualified PMs but perhaps not as many as there were a few years back which is why PMs have to up their game by having greater breadth and depth of experience along with solid domain knowledge in the industry they work in.
Kiron Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
Product manager, program manager and project manager are roles, obviously. All are totally different roles. But because they are roles they can be performed by the same person. Is that "good" or "bad"? We can debate it. And related to results after searching it is amazing that you will find nothing consistent in the results with the roles really are. Saving Changes...
Thank you for a thoughtful question. At least in IT, I do see a a shift in how organizations are managing projects. When I became a project manager my focus was on the development and implementation of software solutions for my customers; true projects that have a beginning, middle, and end, with heavy documentation and planning upfront.
Now, my responsibilities are shifting to managing products, not just projects, where a product goes through continuous improvements through a regular, shorter, release cycle anywhere from a 2 week sprint to a 1-2 month small version release (think version 1.2 to version 1.3 every couple of months, with a 1.2.1, 1.2.2, 1.2.3 etc. released at the end of every two week sprint).
In this format, the "program manager" and/or "product manager" become the Agile "Product Owner," the project manager either helps coordinate or becomes obsolete, depending on the framework, and a Scrum Master is added to lead the team and interface with the Product Owner.
I suspect that there will always be a need for a traditional PMP type project manager, although the roles and skills may change to focus more on product development rather than project management, while some of the planning, scheduling, performance tracking, etc of a project gets taken over by AI.
This seems to be proven out by some recent Gartner research; I attended a symposium last year on this very subject.
So...yes, I think the cheese is moving, and us mice have to learn and adapt so we don't starve.
"[...] 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). :)
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1 reply by Deepesh Rammoorthy
Mar 02, 2020 5:28 PM
Deepesh Rammoorthy
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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!
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.
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1 reply by Scott Theus
Mar 02, 2020 2:22 PM
Scott Theus
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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.
In terms of job postings - I do see Project Manager roles still but a lot of times they also prefer some type of Agile certification in addition to the PMP (CSM is a popular one).
There's definitely a shift going on from waterfall to Agile in many organizations and companies. Ideally as a PM, it's in your best interests to use both as there's advantages/disadvantages to both. (Regardless of what some companies think Scrum doesn't work for every project out there.)
My advice is that if you don't already have a PMP get one. If you have your PMP, start looking for agile courses like Certified ScrumMaster or Certified Scrum Product Owner. Use these to get your foot into the position you want and then take the PMI-ACP when you have the experience to sit for it.
That should qualify you for any of the jobs regardless of whether the role is Product Owner, Scrum Master, Project Manager, etc, etc. Saving Changes...
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