I am a non IT PM (no technical background). I am technically inclined just no formal education. Have some purchasing background (some IT). Looking for some feeedback on what areas to work on to make the move in IT. I have my CAPM and hope to have my PMP by end of the year. Saving Changes...
Jakob Veje HansenIT Project Management Consultant| Veje ConsultAarhus N, Denmark
Hi,
Ask different people and you get different answers. My answer is that it depends on how high level project manager you expect to be.
If you're going to lead a small team of programmers, and also have the technical lead role, you'll have to learn the trade to succeed. I think your best bet is to rely on your people skills to appoint a technical lead on the team and work closely together with him or her.
If the project is bigger, and you manage teams with their own technical project managers (a project organization with several management layers), you can relax. You should not have to rely on technical skills at all. That said, it is still important that you ensure the right manning of the project at all levels.
IT projects are somewhat different from projects that delivers a new product or project that changes the organization.
Again you should consider: IT projects are different. Are we talking a software development project, a software implementation project (which might turn out to be a org. changes project), a software acquisition project? An IT infrastructure project?
I think the best thing you can do is to ponder what kind of projects you are going to work with, and what makes projects different from other projects. There may be a good book or two on what characterizes the different types of IT projects.
"When one door closes another door opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the ones which open for us."
