going from a technical role into a program management role

[xaeniac]

anyone here went from technical role into a program management role ? if so what advice would you give?

 

[Zeze]

This is a tech forum with the recent poll showing 85% voted as loners.

You be the judge as to what kind of advice would come here. It'll be nothing but engineer circle jerks trashing PMs.

Lacking a proper big picture of an operation, you wonder why they can't make it into upper exec role.

Sorry, I had a long day at work today.

 

[Ns1]

PM = sit in meetings all day and manage shit
Technical Role = in the trenches doing the dirty work

Do you like to talk to people? Do you have a spine? Do you like to manage people and fight fires all day? If YES then PM is a real possibility.

If NO to any one of the above answers then stick to technical role.

 

[Zeze]

PM = sit in meetings all day and manage shit
Technical Role = in the trenches doing the dirty work

Do you like to talk to people? Do you have a spine? Do you like to manage people and fight fires all day? If YES then PM is a real possibility.

If NO to any one of the above answers then stick to technical role.

Ns1 captured it perfectly.

I just realized, I really did nothing but meetings today. And specing stuff to stupid clients so us IT folks can get it done.

 

[Ns1]

^^

Before I started this project, I thought my career goal was PM. After seeing the work my PM actually did...fuck that shit.

 

[dud]

anyone here went from technical role into a program management role ? if so what advice would you give?

I don't recommend it. I've done both and got paid the same in each case. As tech lead I am responsible for all technical issues related to the program. As a PM I was responsible for ALL aspects of the program with NO dedicated resources and no increase in pay.

No thank you.

 

[Markbnj]

anyone here went from technical role into a program management role ? if so what advice would you give?

Yeah I went from programmer to project manager and hated it with a passion. Same money, 1000% more stress, responsibility for everything and control over nothing. I'm back designing and developing systems again.

 

[mikegg]

Difference between project manager and product manager?

 

[Markbnj]

Difference between project manager and product manager?

Apples and oranges, really.

 

[Howard]

Apples and oranges, really.

Er, what?

 

[Wonderful Pork]

I made the transition at the beginning of 2012. While I enjoy the responsibility & visability (budgets, schedules, scheduling manpower, meetings with VPs, etc) I realized that at the end of the day I missed getting my hands dirty and feeling like I "contributed".

Now I'm just the guy that asks the people doing the work for status and report that higher up the chain. If you can live your life in pointless meetings and catered lunches then its perfect for you. Seriously, I have meetings that are 5-8 hours long. My entire Thursday is one meeting to another, no joke. Nothing ever happens or gets resolved at these meetings, there are always satellite meetings to handle everything, which just means the people delegate the work to people who DON'T attend meetings 40 hours a week and then just report its done.

I'm reconsidering the position. I'm so bored.

 

[ImpulsE69]

I haven't met a project manager who didn't want to kill themselves. Some people are good at it, but job satisfaction isn't exactly something I'd add to the title.

 

[Zeze]

Difference between project manager and product manager?

Aren't they fundamentally different roles?

PM is involved with essentially gathering resources, moving the project along, and effectively managing interior teams & client.

Product Manager is in charge of a tangible product quite literally. He's in charge of inventing and coming up with a product spec, etc... It's PM's job to move that product along into a realization (hence project). And it's Product Manager's job to create the product with his focused expertise and continue to sculpt & mold the product until implementation.

In one job I interviewed, Product Manager & PM worked together, and both did completely different jobs.

Maybe someone could fill me in.

 

[Farang]

Your question is too generic to say for sure, but as a recruiter I've seen a lot of people kill their careers with such a move.

 

[brianmanahan]

Lacking a proper big picture of an operation, you wonder why they can't make it into upper exec role.

lol because that's what everyone should want to do?

 

[brianmanahan]

PM = sit in meetings all day and manage s**t
Technical Role = in the trenches doing the dirty work

and if you are a lead programmer you get to do the crappy parts of both, managing and planning work w/o getting credit for it while being on the chopping block to figure out technical issues and get stuff done when half your days are filled with meetings

 

[Zeze]

lol because that's what everyone should want to do?

What, that's not what I said.

Being a tech guy/engineer or PM has nothing to do with going upper management. Whoever is well rounded, and smart will get it (frankly whoever also has knowledge of the opposing role).

I'm talking about those narrow sighted engineers who blindly flame PMs as seen in the past here. If you are so pigeon-holed that you can't appreciate how vital all roles are in an organization (PMs are industry wide), and stuck in the petty PM vs Engineer mindset, then you aren't the upper mgmt type.

THOSE are the types of people who won't advance. And frankly, those shame the real tech people.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

This is a tech forum with the recent poll showing 85% voted as loners.

You be the judge as to what kind of advice would come here. It'll be nothing but engineer circle jerks trashing PMs.

Lacking a proper big picture of an operation, you wonder why they can't make it into upper exec role.

Sorry, I had a long day at work today.

No offense (and remember, I have and still am considering PM longer term), but it is because we've all dealt with many clueless PMs. The few PMs that are good generally have come from technical backgrounds and still know the tech stuff well enough to contribute. I would be an awesome PM, but I'm a little concerned about getting stuck somewhere with a lot of bureaucracy and paper pushing more than the leadership angle.

The PMs who are clueless are generally glorified secretaries who just hound you and schedule endless meetings. The last dipshit PM we had here would make requests of me and then argue when I told him his request was not possible in Sharepoint ("We did it at my last company!"). He always lost those arguments when I proved he was wrong.

I'm talking about those narrow sighted engineers who blindly flame PMs as seen in the past here. If you are so pigeon-holed that you can't appreciate how vital all roles are in an organization (PMs are industry wide), and stuck in the petty PM vs Engineer mindset, then you aren't the upper mgmt type.

Most engineers aren't upper management types and it has nothing to do with their "big picture view" (or lack thereof). It has more to do with the fact that many (most?) engineers are introverts and don't do what it takes socially to network and make the contacts. I'm guilty as charged.

^^

Before I started this project, I thought my career goal was PM. After seeing the work my PM actually did...fuck that shit.

That has been what has made me reluctant. I don't want to sit in meetings all day. Oh, and by the way, the "dirty work in the trenches" is often what requires the real expertise and is what actually gets the job done. PMs are really just overhead.

 

[Zeze]

...

Thank you for some sound legit feedback. That was refreshing. :thumbsup:

 

[JM Aggie08]

Do you have your A+ certification? Hur dur hur dur hur huuuuuuuuur.

 

[kranky]

Oh, and by the way, the "dirty work in the trenches" is often what requires the real expertise and is what actually gets the job done. PMs are really just overhead.

Not a PM but I don't think it's as clear-cut as saying they are just overhead. The roles are different.

The engineers that are working on a project all day, every day, grinding out the things that contribute to the completion of the project, are like singles and occasional doubles hitters in baseball with a very high batting average. You need that, absolutely. Most times they are doing something worthwhile and necessary, but in the big picture one engineer can't outproduce 10 other engineers (let's ignore software for the moment). They are very good, but singles and doubles are most likely what they will hit.

On the other hand, PMs are like solid pitchers. They are keeping the other side (the client) from scoring, maybe not always, but usually. No, you can't have XYZ for free. No, ABC is not in the scope of the contract. Look, we met this milestone so pay us. It may seem like overhead because they aren't "scoring runs", but they are keeping the other side off the scoreboard, and that has value.

Where the good PMs make a real difference is that every so often, in addition to a solid pitching performance they will also hit a 10-run homer. Bringing in a change order, negotiating better payment terms, etc. While the PM can't hit singles and doubles all day because they aren't progressing the deliverables like engineering is, when they hit that 10-run homer the amount of money it means is huge - a much bigger difference in money than the engineer can make.

 

[robphelan]

I went from developer to the PMO (Project Management Organization) team. it was a tough transition.

I was used to solving problems by coding - they solve problems by implementing policies / procedures.

 

[BoberFett]

Your question is too generic to say for sure, but as a recruiter I've seen a lot of people kill their careers with such a move.

How do you figure? Competent PMs can move into upper management roles pretty easily. Sure, if you don't like the job, it can be tough to move back to a purely technical role, but that can apply to any major career shift.

 

[MtnMan]

I did that, from network engineer to PM for WAN installations.

My technical knowledge went a long way to making it easier to drive, and I ended up making a whole lot more as a PM.