Transition into a PM

Project Management is a profession you enjoy and learn thoroughly if you are a people person, gregarious and have huge affinity to learn. If you are any of these, transitioning should not be a big deal. However, for someone that is totally heads-down technical, mostly working in silo fashion, then the transitioning may be hard or slow. However, remember, PM has to be flexible, adaptive and not get overwhelmed by surprises and changes because not every organization is the same, not every program/portfolio is the same.

From a practical perspective, there are few people who can simply 'slip into' a PM position, and then do well. I clearly remember my first opportunity to lead a team, and, faced with the challenge, ran as quickly as I could to another member of the staff who had experience as a manager, and not just a team member.

She taught me three things:
1- Never assume every answer you give is the correct one, and accept correction when it isn't
2- Always be prepared to describe your solution in terms others can understand and accept
3- Be willing to learn from others, especially your team, because there is always one or more ways to be successful.

Project Management is both a skill, and an art. Skills can be learned, through education and observation, as well as 'on-the-job' You can get to an 'adequate' rating by learning on the job, in smaller projects.

Project management is also an art, and there are well-described methods, techniques and tools, such as the PMBOK, to give you a blueprint on how to proceed. Others, such as BPMN, and Systems Engineering principles and practices also provide solid guidance. Just remember, though, that each project is different, and trying to do the identical things in each project will lead to failure.

Take your time, do not try to achieve something you are not yet ready to tackle, and learn from every project, successful or not. Over time, you will be happy to call yourself a PM.

From a practical perspective, there are few people who can simply 'slip into' a PM position, and then do well. I clearly remember my first opportunity to lead a team, and, faced with the challenge, ran as quickly as I could to another member of the staff who had experience as a manager, and not just a team member.

She taught me three things:
1- Never assume every answer you give is the correct one, and accept correction when it isn't
2- Always be prepared to describe your solution in terms others can understand and accept
3- Be willing to learn from others, especially your team, because there is always one or more ways to be successful.

Project Management is both a skill, and an art. Skills can be learned, through education and observation, as well as 'on-the-job' You can get to an 'adequate' rating by learning on the job, in smaller projects.

Project management is also an art, and there are well-described methods, techniques and tools, such as the PMBOK, to give you a blueprint on how to proceed. Others, such as BPMN, and Systems Engineering principles and practices also provide solid guidance. Just remember, though, that each project is different, and trying to do the identical things in each project will lead to failure.

Take your time, do not try to achieve something you are not yet ready to tackle, and learn from every project, successful or not. Over time, you will be happy to call yourself a PM.

All of the above from Deepesh, John, and Sonali are solid. The way it worked best for me was mentor, mentor, mentor. I still do it today! There is always someone who knows what they're doing better than you. Find a good PM, and become their right hand. Start with the small stuff - status reporting, number crunching, QC, which you pass through the Senior PM. Best of luck!

Thank you for your insight,
I have been in a management position for a few years now. I have undertaken some projects, however majority of my work also relates to personnel management. I understand that optimizing teams and and leading people while maintaining and communicating the bigger picture is critical. My question is what level of technical knowledge must the PM have prior to taking on a project such as a software development project?