Program Manager, PPM&PMO Specialist.| Coppel, Mexico.Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico
How did we all end up as Project Managers? For me, in eachj organization i worked, additional to my daily functional tasks, I kept getting assigned to projects and eventually found myself leading them in the PMO. What about the rest of you? What was your calling? Saving Changes...
For me it was recognizing that remaining technically focused was like being on a rollercoaster where you'd work really hard to get to the top of the hill from a capability or competency perspective and then technology advancements will force you to learn something totally new whereas with project management, there is no "top of the hill" to reach but rather the opportunity for continuous improvement.
Kiron
...
1 reply by Francisco Herrera
Apr 08, 2025 1:37 PM
Francisco Herrera
...
Kiron, That's very inspiring how you put it. I agree, the idea of continuous improvement in project management is very appealing. Thanks for sharing!
Francisco
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Francisco, I initially started my career as a structural engineer, but over the years, I naturally transitioned into project management. For the past 20 years, I've been focused on this area. At a certain point, I realized that structural engineering design had become routine and lacked the challenge I was seeking."
...
1 reply by Francisco Herrera
Apr 08, 2025 6:33 PM
Francisco Herrera
...
Rami your story sounds very familiar to me and brings back memories. Thanks for sharing!
Francisco.
En mi caso, soy Arquitecto y desde siempre me ha apasionado el diseño, la funcionalidad de los espacios y cómo estos influyen en la vida de las personas que operaran las áreas. Al integrarme al Departamento de Diseño y Proyectos en la empresa, comencé enfocándome en lo técnico y lo creativo. Sin embargo, con el tiempo me di cuenta de que detrás de cada proyecto exitoso había una fuerte necesidad de organización, planeación estratégica, gestión de recursos y liderazgo de equipos.
Poco a poco, además del diseño, me empezaron a asignar responsabilidades relacionadas con la coordinación de especialidades, la gestión de tiempos, presupuestos y riesgos, y fue ahí donde me empecé a adentrar en el mundo de la gestión de proyectos. Sin darme cuenta, ya estaba aplicando principios del PMBOK y utilizando herramientas como cronogramas, actas de constitución de proyectos, matrices de interesados y hasta análisis de valor ganado.
Hoy puedo decir que la gestión de proyectos se ha vuelto una extensión natural de mi perfil como arquitecto. La visión integral que ofrece el Project Management me permite no solo diseñar espacios, sino también asegurar que se entreguen de manera eficiente, alineados con los objetivos estratégicos de la empresa. Es un rol desafiante, pero también muy gratificante, porque combina lo técnico, lo humano y lo organizacional.
Y como se dice, uno no empieza buscando ser Project Manager, pero el camino y las necesidades del negocio te van moldeando hasta que un día ya estás liderando proyectos completos. Es una evolución que muchos vivimos sin darnos cuenta.
...
1 reply by Francisco Herrera
Apr 09, 2025 12:13 PM
Francisco Herrera
...
José Miguel lograste fusionar tu oficio con ser PM! Muy inspiradora tu historia gracias por compartir! sobre todo tu último mensaje que es la evolución que vivimos en nuestras profesiones!
Francisco.
That’s a great question!
For me, it was similar—I started getting involved in project-related tasks alongside my regular duties and gradually transitioned into a more formal project management role. It seems like a natural progression when you’re already managing parts of a project. How about others any interesting journeys into project management?
...
1 reply by Francisco Herrera
Apr 08, 2025 7:46 PM
Francisco Herrera
...
Pavan that's a very motivating story! It will be interesting to hear how others in the forum started their journey into project management.
Francisco.
Saving Changes...
Amanda HarrisLeonardo DRSSpace Coast, FL, United States
Hi Francisco!
I think that like many project managers, my path was unconventional and unintentional at first. I just always found myself driving change, driving results, bringing the right people into the conversation. It just felt like a natural transition!
...
1 reply by Francisco Herrera
Apr 23, 2025 3:45 PM
Francisco Herrera
...
Amanda that sounds very much like my own story. It really resonates with my experience. Thanks for sharing!
En lo personal, siempre he sido muy metódico en lo que hago y siempre me ha gustado planear lo que voy hacer así como todas sus posibilidades, ahora que soy ingeniero industrial, se me ha presentado una rama de la ingeniería que siento que estoy contento y me llama a la acción, gestionar proyectos desde su inicio hasta su conclusión es como si fuera un hijo, lo cuidas para que salga todo perfecto, me encanta tener todo en control y ver su progreso, con ayuda de herramientas con el diagrama de gantt, por ende, el ser project manager es el siguiente paso para concluir con largos años de estudio de administración de proyectos.
...
1 reply by Francisco Herrera
Apr 24, 2025 12:10 PM
Francisco Herrera
...
Entiendo Luis armando que ha sido un camino natural que se te ha presentado de manera profesional. Gracias por compartir!
Program Manager, PPM&PMO Specialist.| Coppel, Mexico.Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico
Apr 02, 2025 4:19 PM
Replying to Kiron Bondale
...
Francisco -
For me it was recognizing that remaining technically focused was like being on a rollercoaster where you'd work really hard to get to the top of the hill from a capability or competency perspective and then technology advancements will force you to learn something totally new whereas with project management, there is no "top of the hill" to reach but rather the opportunity for continuous improvement.
Kiron
Kiron, That's very inspiring how you put it. I agree, the idea of continuous improvement in project management is very appealing. Thanks for sharing!
Francisco Saving Changes...
Program Manager, PPM&PMO Specialist.| Coppel, Mexico.Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico
Apr 02, 2025 6:30 PM
Replying to Rami Kaibni
...
Francisco, I initially started my career as a structural engineer, but over the years, I naturally transitioned into project management. For the past 20 years, I've been focused on this area. At a certain point, I realized that structural engineering design had become routine and lacked the challenge I was seeking."
Rami your story sounds very familiar to me and brings back memories. Thanks for sharing!
Francisco. Saving Changes...
Program Manager, PPM&PMO Specialist.| Coppel, Mexico.Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico
Apr 06, 2025 5:58 PM
Replying to Pavan Maddi
...
That’s a great question!
For me, it was similar—I started getting involved in project-related tasks alongside my regular duties and gradually transitioned into a more formal project management role. It seems like a natural progression when you’re already managing parts of a project. How about others any interesting journeys into project management?
Pavan that's a very motivating story! It will be interesting to hear how others in the forum started their journey into project management.
The short story is that I suggested we use an internal employee instead of hiring a PM contractor to help with a new project, and that we backfill our team with a contractor - lower cost and our team already had a relationship with the department that needed a PM. A week later, they offered me the opportunity.
...
1 reply by Francisco Herrera
Apr 23, 2025 6:56 PM
Francisco Herrera
...
That's a great anecdote Aaron! It sounds like something that could have happened to many of us here. Thank you for sharing your experience!
Community Champion
