What Would Make You Quit Your Job as a Project Manager?
Not sure how many answers I’ll get to this one, but I’m curious about what it would take for you to quit your job as a project manager. What did me in years ago for a company I worked for was the incessant desire to give things away for free in the hopes that something big was right around the corner. The reality was that nothing ever materialized around each corner we turned. We just gave a lot of stuff away for free!
What would cause you to start looking elsewhere as a project manager?
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Imran ManirSenior Project ManagerBurton On Trent, United Kingdom
That's a tough one Jennifer. If you're referring to workplace factors, then perhaps if you've been deployed on a number of projects and never been seen to "successfully" delivered on the overall project objectives, then that may force you to ask yourself if this really is a career you wish to pursue.
You may have the enthusiasm and passion to make a go of it, however, if this is not where your strengths lie, then maybe consider a career change.
Make way for someone else, whose not only enthusiastic - but capable.
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Troy WyattCEO| VolanticSan Clemente, Ca, United States
I know my teams would quit if I ever made them go back to MS Project!
Hmm - not sure if I should make this reply anonymously... but here goes...
I worked previously for an organisation that believed it didn't need to do much in the way of training/CPD/review for its project managers as it "didn't have a problem with project management"
Of course these days I'd have shown them a maturity matrix... but because there was no training, I didn't know it existed !
So - over a period of time, a complete lack of interest in reviewing and improving would probably get me moving on. Not necessarily to leave project management, but to find somewhere with a better fit in terms of culture and values. Saving Changes...
Jennifer, that's a good question. It sounds like you did the right thing leaving that role as it wasn't a great long term business model!
I think you are referring to leaving a particular PM role, although I’ll also cover leaving PM to a different career. There are many reasons for leaving a role I would consider, but how many I would act on depends on what other roles are available elsewhere.
Some reasons that would influence me, especially if encountering several at once:- a micro-managing sponsor, a sponsor that won’t adhere to scope, completely insufficient resources to deliver the project, poor quality project technical staff that the organisation won’t replace, lack of project support staff & organisation unwilling to recruit, pet projects.
As for leaving PM to a different career, this is something I’ve been wondering about doing for a while.. but have yet to come up with a realistic alternative. What other careers have other PMs transitioned on to successfully?
Whether its a job as a project manager or an Analyst, deciding to quit can be due to many factors. If you are not satisfied with your performance, you think you are not using your full potential or even feeling unhappy with your job it might be time to start looking for another. Saving Changes...
This really is a hard one to decide and also it depends what level of experience you stand out as Project Manager . Organizational factors like many of the members described can be a reason to quit ! But I will hold on for a while to check those factors one by one . Before I quit I would rather talk to the higher ups for an amicable resolve before i made such a big decision . e.g. If PM is not able to exercise his authority in an environment where sponsor is micro managing things , I would like to sort this out by highlighting and negotiating with sponsor for a graceful solution .
Furthermore , other reason e.g. If PM is doing well and project delivery is coming up with the sustainable profit margins and even then , incentives are not as much as they are supposed to be ! This is the time to raise alarm . If PM forsee that this is not going to help , side by side , PM should be trying his / her luck for the better alternatives !
Another reason could be a professional development if it lacks , PM got to take an initiative and convince management for the value addition of such development and seek organization investment in it . In case after years and years of experience somehow organization does not invest in the PMO professional development , it is a pretty clear caution to the PM to be on a look out for the better one ! Saving Changes...
Elizabeth HarrinDirector| RebelsGuideToPM.comLondon, England, United Kingdom
I don't think I would give up project management. But I have left project management jobs before. Most recently it was because I was working overseas and I had got as high up the food chain as I could go without being a native (or very, very good) speaker. My language skills were good, but I was never going to be put in front of the board to do presentations. Back in Blightly, I can do that, so it was career progression that led me to leave that role. Saving Changes...
Michelle StronachProject Management and IT Governance Consultant| M.L. Stronach Project Consulting, Inc.Pickering, Ontario, Canada
Like others above, I doubt I would leave project management as a career. I like trying different things, but in the world of project management that is always possible whether it be trying different industries or trying different project management roles. I have left a couple full time enterprise PMO jobs because of lack of advancement....basically I accomplished what I wanted to do and there wasn't really anywhere else to go, so it was time to move on. I left one PM role because after I started I realized the job was way to low level for me and I didn't enjoy the detail transactional aspect of the job. For me I need to feel like I am making a difference, not just getting things done. Saving Changes...
Wai Mun KooPMO Director| Intergraph PP&MSingapore, Singapore
Quit my career in project management? Probably not. However, I have not really managed any project for the past few years where my focus switched to ensuring projects are being executed smoothly within the organization. Although I wasn't managing any project personally, I was involved in most projects helping to solve problems on a day-to-day routine. Yes, I do not manage project now, but I am still very much deep in project management. Saving Changes...
Wai Mun KooPMO Director| Intergraph PP&MSingapore, Singapore
Quit my career in project management? Probably not. However, I have not really managed any project for the past few years where my focus switched to ensuring projects are being executed smoothly within the organization. Although I wasn't managing any project personally, I was involved in most projects helping to solve problems on a day-to-day routine. Yes, I do not manage project now, but I am still very much deep in project management. Saving Changes...
