As I have recently re-entered the job market, I notice a trend regarding postings for Project Manager roles. The job description uses all the PM keywords and duties, yet when it comes to qualifications, employers are looking for particular skills and education that do not seem to align with the PM role. I can appreciate certain trades (construction) require an in-depth knowledge of the industry to be effective but the shift away from a structured, certified PM role to that of it being a task is somewhat concerning. More than 75% of the roles I have found are requiring such specialization as MBA, degrees in Architecture, Engineering, Medicine, etc. Ironically, the PMP designation (or similar certifications) are often labelled as 'nice to have' or 'preferred'. As a PM with more than ten years of experience, I am confident I can lead anything from a project to a PMO, regardless of my subject expertise. My skills in PMing are just as critical and important as, dare I say, more valuable than a team member or lead who is fulfilling the role of PM off the side of their desk. It would be helpful to hear this community's thoughts and comments on this topic, as it may very well change my career options. Saving Changes...
Domain knowledge is crucial regardless of the industry. The question is how much? While it is ideal if a PM has the skills to be able to do the work of one or more of the team members, that is not essential to being effective.
Unfortunately, many leadership teams make up for skillset shortfall by expecting folks to wear multiple hats, and PMs are not immune to this expectation.
Kiron
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1 reply by Mark Proulx
Dec 12, 2022 10:23 AM
Mark Proulx
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Thank you for the feedback Kiron. While I agree the PM must be familiar with the subject, I draw on my years of experience successfully leading projects in healthcare, logistics, IT and pharmaceutical, where I had no more knowledge than the average person. I would go so far as to say that my success was due to this fact, as I was not pulled in or relied on to be an SME. IMHO, the value of being an effective PM is bringing advanced management techniques, communication, collaboration and team-handling skills to the project. I am sure some professionals have these skills as a foundation for their primary designations, but I do not see this as a sustainable model, merely a cost-saving effort.
Domain knowledge is crucial regardless of the industry. The question is how much? While it is ideal if a PM has the skills to be able to do the work of one or more of the team members, that is not essential to being effective.
Unfortunately, many leadership teams make up for skillset shortfall by expecting folks to wear multiple hats, and PMs are not immune to this expectation.
Kiron
Thank you for the feedback Kiron. While I agree the PM must be familiar with the subject, I draw on my years of experience successfully leading projects in healthcare, logistics, IT and pharmaceutical, where I had no more knowledge than the average person. I would go so far as to say that my success was due to this fact, as I was not pulled in or relied on to be an SME. IMHO, the value of being an effective PM is bringing advanced management techniques, communication, collaboration and team-handling skills to the project. I am sure some professionals have these skills as a foundation for their primary designations, but I do not see this as a sustainable model, merely a cost-saving effort.
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1 reply by Kiron Bondale
Dec 12, 2022 2:12 PM
Kiron Bondale
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While you don't need to be a SME, a PM who lacks sufficient awareness of the domain is 100% reliant on the knowledge of their team members which could increase the ratio of unknown-unknowns to known-unknowns. In specific industries, this could also make the job of establishing credibility with the team members and other stakeholders that much tougher.
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Mark
I agree with you that experience is what should matter. Credentials are merely a proof that someone has in-depth knowledge in the domain but doesn’t mean they can do the job.
Unfortunately, you are right. I see many of the job postings having a disconnect between the job function description and required qualifications. That said, regardless of the industry, having the minimum knowledge in the domain (regardless of the domain) is important these days more than ever because the nature of the organisations changed, size of projects and complexity increased, and so on so while earlier in the days an experienced PM could lead projects in different industries, I find this to be more challenging to do in today’s world without domain and min technical knowledge.
RK Saving Changes...
Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
Mark,
I guess you gained your PM experience in a larger company having a defined PM role and career path. Like myself at IBM. Then PMs can gain confidence and are respected as leaders and caretakers.
Coming back you find the reality, the 80% or more of PMs having to prove their value to their customers/executives by not only being able to run a project but also to be subject matter expert in some technology or domain.
In addition, the PMP peaked in relevance 10-15 years ago, from then a plethora of so-called certifications, many called agile, was thrown on the market. Abundance of certifications is one root cause of failed companies.
In my view (and my personal experience), project management is primarily people business, and PMs who have grasped this are able to perform in any environment. But you have to sell yourself thru recommendations, not skills checklists.
Thank you for the feedback Kiron. While I agree the PM must be familiar with the subject, I draw on my years of experience successfully leading projects in healthcare, logistics, IT and pharmaceutical, where I had no more knowledge than the average person. I would go so far as to say that my success was due to this fact, as I was not pulled in or relied on to be an SME. IMHO, the value of being an effective PM is bringing advanced management techniques, communication, collaboration and team-handling skills to the project. I am sure some professionals have these skills as a foundation for their primary designations, but I do not see this as a sustainable model, merely a cost-saving effort.
While you don't need to be a SME, a PM who lacks sufficient awareness of the domain is 100% reliant on the knowledge of their team members which could increase the ratio of unknown-unknowns to known-unknowns. In specific industries, this could also make the job of establishing credibility with the team members and other stakeholders that much tougher.
Kiron
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2 replies by Mark Proulx and Rami Kaibni
Dec 12, 2022 2:15 PM
Rami Kaibni
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Very well said, Kiron!
Dec 12, 2022 2:52 PM
Mark Proulx
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"Sufficient awareness" seems like a fairly nebulous term. Do you have any data suggesting the success ratio of SME PMs to non? Do you see any value in the generic PM role moving forward?
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Dec 12, 2022 2:12 PM
Replying to Kiron Bondale
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While you don't need to be a SME, a PM who lacks sufficient awareness of the domain is 100% reliant on the knowledge of their team members which could increase the ratio of unknown-unknowns to known-unknowns. In specific industries, this could also make the job of establishing credibility with the team members and other stakeholders that much tougher.
While you don't need to be a SME, a PM who lacks sufficient awareness of the domain is 100% reliant on the knowledge of their team members which could increase the ratio of unknown-unknowns to known-unknowns. In specific industries, this could also make the job of establishing credibility with the team members and other stakeholders that much tougher.
Kiron
"Sufficient awareness" seems like a fairly nebulous term. Do you have any data suggesting the success ratio of SME PMs to non? Do you see any value in the generic PM role moving forward?
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1 reply by Kiron Bondale
Dec 12, 2022 5:00 PM
Kiron Bondale
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Mark -
The main data point I'd use is PMI's inclusion of business domain acumen as one of the legs of their Talent Triangle. As per their site: "Professionals with business acumen understand the macro and micro influences in their organization and industry and have the function-specific or domain-specific knowledge to make good decisions."
I can also attest to the many challenges which PMs I've worked with in the past had managing projects which were outside their domain expertise.
There is still value in being a good general PM, but it does require that you have a trusted "right-hand" person on your team who can help to fill the knowledge gaps you'd have about the domain.
"Sufficient awareness" seems like a fairly nebulous term. Do you have any data suggesting the success ratio of SME PMs to non? Do you see any value in the generic PM role moving forward?
Mark -
The main data point I'd use is PMI's inclusion of business domain acumen as one of the legs of their Talent Triangle. As per their site: "Professionals with business acumen understand the macro and micro influences in their organization and industry and have the function-specific or domain-specific knowledge to make good decisions."
I can also attest to the many challenges which PMs I've worked with in the past had managing projects which were outside their domain expertise.
There is still value in being a good general PM, but it does require that you have a trusted "right-hand" person on your team who can help to fill the knowledge gaps you'd have about the domain.
Kiron Saving Changes...
Peter RapinSubject Matter Expect; Project Delivery| Independent ConsultantOntario, Canada
I believe the issue is that project managers have yet to be fully recognized as SMEs in their own field. In many organizations they are seen only as senior coordinators in that they don't add any direct value. The projects technical SMEs in may cases don't see the project managers at equivalent or same level thus hiring managers require or look for qualifications that will enhance a PM's acceptance as a project leader. It probably doesn't help that the hiring managers share the SME's thought that "only" project management abilities are insufficient.
I come from the infrastructure delivery world (construction) with an engineering background. Looking back after 40 years of PM experience and certification I can confirm that my engineering certification carried much more weight with SMEs, stakeholders and management.
I can see that even today I would be challenged to provide project leadership without relying on my engineering background. Not necessarily due to weakness on my part but due to acceptance. As a hiring manager I would most likely ask for more as well. Saving Changes...
I have seen expectations for PM responsibilities all over the map, from a technical lead that has traditional PM duties, to a clerical role that pulls project data and organizes it on charts.
If they are looking for a "technical PM" then you will likely require significant knowledge. Even then I've seen multiple engineering disciplines and "or equivalent" on many job postings, so often they want related knowledge instead of SME level experience. Qualifications like masters degrees are often more about your ability to learn complex subjects quickly than what you actually learned in your studies.
There are a variety of reasons for this as others pointed out. Two that have not been pointed out are:
Many managers don't know how to manage and divide responsibility. They expect managers and PMs to interject themselves into all the technical decisions (often much to the detriment of the technical community).
Some quality systems include a requirement for the technical credentials. By having a system in place where the credentials are supposed to indicate that personnel have the knowledge to evaluate technical work, it reduces the procedural requirements to ensure quality (at least in theory). It's essentially saying you can have less quality assurance, if you have more quality control. Saving Changes...
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