Today we continue our series on project management. Read previous articles here:
- Project Management Methodologies in IT: Making the Right Choice Amidst Uncertainty
- From Concept to Revision: Project Management Stages in IT
In this article we’ll look at what makes a good project manager and whether it’s possible for a developer to become one.
There are two ways to appoint a manager: you can hire someone from outside or you can choose a specialist from your technical team. It’s widely believed that the second option is more effective because an “insider” is already immersed in the company’s processes, knows the corporate culture, and has developed relationships with employees.
This all holds true, but not when it comes to finding an IT project manager. Yes, developers sometimes make good project managers, but this is more of the exception than the rule. The more likely career path for a programmer is to become a team leader. Let’s look at why.
Rampant uncertainty
Before solving any given problem, a developer needs to mentally break it down into smaller parts and map out – in his head and on paper – the structure and algorithm of the solution they will follow.
IT project management is all about embracing chaos and making sense of it. From the very beginning, a project manager has to work under uncertainty, where it’s hard to predict how exactly the project will develop. Everything can change over the course of implementation: deadlines, budgets, client’s requirements – and these need to be adjusted along the way. For someone who is used to tackling problems requiring a strictly systematic approach, all this chaos can be too difficult to navigate. Overall, most managerial positions require you to deal with uncertainties, and you need to feel comfortable in such an environment to become a good expert.
Translating the client-speak
Despite the common stereotypes about tech geeks being introverted, good communication skills are still highly desirable for IT specialists, who need to interact with each other all the time when implementing projects. For a team leader, the ability to find a common language with technical specialists is a must. Project managers have the most difficult role: they need to maintain communication not only with the team, but also with the client who may not be particularly IT savvy and think in different terms. In this sense, the project manager becomes a sort of interpreter between the two parties. Consequently, the hallmark of a good project manager is the ability to switch between different communication styles.
In contrast, developers usually have no experience of communicating with clients: they are used to talking to people who speak the same language as them, and readjusting may prove quite difficult. That’s why it may be easier for an IT specialist to become a team leader instead: in this position they will oversee the development and communication from within the team, while the project manager deals with the client and relays his requirements.
Ideal candidate
There is no rule without an exception, and sometimes developers do make good project managers. But for that to happen, the candidate must meet a number of requirements on top of the ability to work under uncertainty and understand the client-speak.
- Negotiation skills. Communicating the client’s expectations to the team in an understandable manner is not the only responsibility of the project manager. You need to see the most optimal solutions on your own, offer them to the client and argue your case. This means that you also need to be a good negotiator.
- Organisational skills.This one is pretty clear: project managers have to be able to delegate tasks, allocate workload and calculate deadlines, control the implementation, and streamline processes in line with the company’s methodology.
- Ability to motivate the team. Like any other supervisor, a project manager must create a comfortable environment within the team, where people are eager to do their job. To do this, you need to be able to build trust, incentivise, understand everyone’s strengths and weaknesses, and show empathy.
- Tech savviness.It goes without saying that IT project managers have to know how to structure the development process, what tasks are involved and how they are sequenced, who is responsible for what part of the project, and so on.
A qualified project manager is more likely to have all of these skills than a developer with no managerial experience whatsoever. But on the other hand, if an IT specialist shows good potential, you can always train them – in Napoleon’s words, every soldier carries a marshal’s baton in his knapsack.