sandeep KharbandaSales manager| Vanderlande IndustriesPune, Maharashtra, India
I have observed recruiter often looking for project manager from same industry irrespective project management skills.
In my view, it doesnt matter the project manage handling IT projects or construction project as long as he is well versed in process of project management.
whats your view? Saving Changes...
Stéphane ParentSelf Employed / Semi-retired| Leader MakerPrince Edward Island, Canada
Good project management depends on more than industry or "technical" skills. Leadership and communication have a much higher importance on the making of good project managers. Saving Changes...
The PM is not a SME
Experience in project management is what should be looked at. That include a lot of skills, communication, ressources management, etc.
Should you hire a construction worker to manage construction project? Or a programmer to manage an IT project? There competency are excellent to execute the project, but to manage it? Saving Changes...
Mounir, when you said.."construction industry is much more mature in term of Project Management practices"
Are you talking in general or country specifics? Also, what do you understand for mature? Are your comments related to organizational project management maturity or the project management office (PMO) maturity?
Thank you for the clarification. Saving Changes...
I fully agree with you: IT DOES NOT MATTER. But, if and only if, the project manager you are hiring really understand the project manager role and IF AND ONLY IF the organization really understand the project manager role. What I wrote is not academic only is based on my personal experience and a lot of others experience.
Vincent, could you give us some examples of different skills? Saving Changes...
Anonymous
Jan 04, 2017 4:55 PM
Replying to Mayte Mata Sivera
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Mounir, when you said.."construction industry is much more mature in term of Project Management practices"
Are you talking in general or country specifics? Also, what do you understand for mature? Are your comments related to organizational project management maturity or the project management office (PMO) maturity?
Thank you for the clarification.
Hi Maria
You are opening a can of worms - and i love it :)
This is a lengthy discussion but i will summarize the key points. Keep in mind - the focus is on project management and not technical work.
1. This industry has been practicing project management for decades whereas most other industries are new to PM; 2 to 3 decades
2. In construction (i prefer to call it capital projects) you cannot reach the PM levels without years of experience - in the trenches as they say. Whereas in some others - fresh graduates are immediately given that title
3. In capital projects the amount at stake - investment - is relatively huge and failures could bankrupt companies - and many global companies came close to bankruptcies as a result of failed projects.
4. In this industry the PM is PM - not the jack of all trades. Her job is to manage all aspects of the project.
5. The PM is assisted by a PMT (project management team) and these are proj mgmt SME like cost, schedule, planning, safety, quality, etc.
6. In this industry - process and procedures are a must, especially when people life is at stake. A mistake in a marketing project could embarrass but a mistake on a capital project could kill people
On the other hands - in other industries, we see the following practices:
1. Accidental Project Managers: anyone is a PM trained or not
2. The PM is typically a technical person - doing SOME proj mgmt activities - so we call them PM
3. These projects are often run by common sense, which is not common sense
I can go on - but this is a summary of the real world
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1 reply by Mayte Mata Sivera
Jan 05, 2017 1:49 PM
Mayte Mata Sivera
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Mounir, I don't want to change attention from the initial discussion, but know that I am reading with affection all "the worms"
Saving Changes...
Anonymous
Jan 04, 2017 4:55 PM
Replying to Mayte Mata Sivera
...
Mounir, when you said.."construction industry is much more mature in term of Project Management practices"
Are you talking in general or country specifics? Also, what do you understand for mature? Are your comments related to organizational project management maturity or the project management office (PMO) maturity?
Thank you for the clarification.
Maria
In term of maturity - maturing in project management is about the OPM maturity, which means how mature is the PRACTICE of proj mgmt in the organization. As you know, we typically measure maturity on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 indicating awareness of PM and 5 is center of excellence
If the project is for a construction client, the construction background guy will have a better understanding of client domain, which will help in bringing client in confidence. I have seen projects where IT based project managers fail to understand the client requirements and thus provide vague solutions just for the heck of it.. ultimately the client rejects the end solution or the implementation fails. Saving Changes...
