Project Management Career Paths
The Project Management Career Path
Project Management is slowly becoming a career of choice where students can take a degree in the subject and actively pursue a career as a project management professional straight out of university or college. For many years and indeed if you ask many of the professionals who work in this field how they came to be working within project management, many will tell you that it was accidential, that they were in the right place at the right time when a project needed managing in their company and there was no-one else available to manage it.
The project management career path is not necessarily a straight road from project support to project management, then upwards to programme management and portfolio management. Project management professionals the world over take different routes as they climb the ladder, in fact many project managers are happy not to climb the ladder to senior management as it takes them away from doing the things they love - hands on management and delivery of projects.
In this guide we look at some of the roles available in project management; some proposed routes in the project management career path and some hints and tips to help you navigate your own path
Before we start
Arras People have been running project management careers clinics for over 6 years. They are aimed at assisting project professionals in their career development and can be a useful external resource to call on. Sessions such as career skills analysis; training and development and career advancement are all geared to help you on your own career path
Starting Out in Project Management
If you have recently left university with a project management related degree you may already have some idea about the kinds of project management jobs you can be applying for. Even if your degree was not related to project management there are still ways to get your foot in the door and start your career in the project management profession.
At the beginning of your career there are three potential paths to take;
The Project Organisation Path
Those completely new to the workplace or project management should be looking for any opportunities within a project based organisation. The jobs you might consider may not neccessarily have much to do with project management but this is an opportunity to get in the door with an organisation that delivers projects day in, day out.
Many project professionals working today started out in roles such as finance, administration, secretary, even data entry. The trick is to work hard, get noticed and try out for new opportunities coming out of the project department.
The Project Support Path
Those new to project management should consider the supporting roles that exist in project management. These jobs are generally titled; "Project Administrator", "Project Assistant", "Project Support Officer", "Project Co-ordinator" or "Project Management Support"
The Project Support roles are as the name suggests - supporting the project manager and project team in all areas of project based administration. At this level, these roles combine general team administration with basic project management - areas like filling in registers, document formatting, complying reports and basic financial spreadsheet management.
The Assistant Project Manager Path
The Assistant Project Manager route may be better suited to those who have already gained advanced knowledge in project management through their degree and are considered not to be a novice in the theory of project management at least. As the name suggests, the Assistant Project Manager works much closer with the Project Manager on the project delivery. The Assistant Project Manager will have tasks delegated to them by the Project Manager to complete under their guidance. This is a role which is typically more hands on with the project deliverables however in some organisations the role of the Assistant Project Manager may be combined with that of a project support due to resourcing constraints. This should be considered a good thing for career development purposes because it is an opportunity to see how the whole project is being managed from a process and man management point of view
Project Management Benchmark Report 2012
The Next Steps
There are no right or wrong timescales to your project management career. Someone supporting one project within a particular environment may have increased development opportunities from their project manager which might mean they are ready to move on to their next role within a year. Others may be limited by the opportunity to take on new challenges which increase their skill base and confidence.
Generally the rule should be, if it feels like business as usual and you are in a comfort zone whereby you know your current job inside and out, that will be the time to move on to the next stage.
The next stages in the project management career paths;
The Project Support Plus Path
There are a number of job titles in the marketplace that indicate the next level in project support, these are generally based on what it is that is being supported;
- "Project Analyst" and "Project Co-ordinator" - these titles indicate a senior level of support to one large project
- "Programme Co-ordinator" and "Programme Analyst" - these titles indicate support of a programme of projects
- "PMO" - this title and any succeeding words to this title indicate working within a Programme or Project Office function.
Each of these three roles require increased programme and project management knowledge - indepth experience in process, control and methodologies. It is advised that at this level of your project support career, increased skills based training is undertaken to increase confidence, project know-how and increase the trust levels of those colleagues you work with.
The Assistant Project Manager to Project Manager Path
The next logical step for an Assistant Project Manager is taking on ownership of a single project and managing it through to completion. Other than the title "Project Manager" there is also a number of other names given to this type of role.
At this level of your career the projects you take on should be uncomplex at first, giving you the confidence to step up and take on more complex projects as you increase your skill base. It is at this time in your career that you should also pay attention to developing your softer skills - those skills that make you an effective "manager" over and above what you know about project specific management.
Your project management career at this level may be based in one organisation delivering a number of different types of projects or concentrated on increasing the size of projects you manage within one specialism. For others, their project management career may take the form of working for a number of organisations over a number of years, developing a wider portfolio of project experience in different sectors or subject matters.
Project Management Development
Developing through your project management career path requires dedication. Proactively managing your career rather than leaving opportunities to chance makes all the difference to your prospects. Development includes seeking out the right training course and qualifications to suit your career level and continuing professional development doesn't have to mean a budget needs setting aside. Independent advice on your project management career development is available from Arras People
A Real Expert?
At this stage of your project management career you will be specifically called on to manage higher profile projects or be known for your subject matter specialism. You will also be known as someone to call on who is experienced in their field who promotes best practice in project management and the business industry you work within. It might also be the right time in your project support career to make a move into delivering projects - but it is not the only route available to you as you look for advancement in project support.
The next stages in the project management career paths;
The Project Support to PMO Expert Path
By this stage in your career you will have gained experience of working on large complex projects, preferably with a large resource pool to support. You should also have gained experience of working at programme level, again to appreciate the complexities but also to understand the fundamentals of programme delivery in areas such as interdependency management, resource management and benefits realisation.
The next stage would be to move into the role of Programme Office Manager or Project Office Manager depending on the type of organisation you have worked within. The roles can differ quite dramatically, one PMO Manager may be responsible for all the Project Maangers within the business in which case you may need further development in the project management field before taking on a role of this size. A Project Office Manager role might be oversseing the project co-ordinators and other support staff in the organisation or setting up a Centre of Excellence concept
The Project Manager to Senior Project Manager Path
Taking the next steps into larger, more complex projects is the obvious next stage for a project manager - projects which are resource heavy, big budget with complex contractual terms should challenge the most savvy of project managers. Senior Project Managers are also known within the organisation as the professional to go to when a high profile project needs managing. By this stage in your career you will be adept at handling the organisational politics that go hand in hand with a high profile role. It could be at this stage in your career when you start to work more towards the role of programme manager. Keeping up to date with current best practice in areas such as programme management and portfolio management will be setting the stage for the next move in your career path.
The Project Consultancy Path
As you become more confident in your knowledge, experience and skills it may be time in your career to consider leaving a permanent employment position and make a move into consultancy. If you can identify a particular specialism, in demand set of skills or industrial sector experience you may find that there is a interim and contract market available.
At this stage in your career there are two routes to take; (a) considering freelance and contracting assignments and (b) setting up your own consultancy business. It is imperative that you do your homework about what the current market is demanding and position yourself to meet those demands.
The consultancy path is open to both those on the project manager and the project support career paths.
Programme and Portfolios
The Senior Project Manager at this stage in their career can move in any manner of directions; including moving away from project management completely; moving into a Head of Projects role; programme management and portfolio management.
The next stages in the project management career paths;
The Senior Project Manager to Programme/Portfolios Path
Making the move into a programme manager role may not take too much of a step - especially if you have been managing multiple projects for a while. Getting into the role of Programme Manager is considered easier to do in your current organisation - mainly because your track record of project delivery is known and the risk of making the promotion is minimal. Once you become a programme manager and gain experience of delivering programmes, you could consider the consultancy / contract route or just switching organisations to gain further experience in different fields.
In the open market, programme managers are expected to have gained the advanced levels of training and accreditations and specifically for the programme management field - the Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) accreditation.
Senior Project Managers may also opt to move towards the portfolio management career path. This role heads up the management structure of ensuring programmes and projects across the organisation are successfully delivered. The position includes the strategic delivery of porgrammes and projects and is considered to be a senior management / board level role.
Director Level
Programme Managers, Project Managers and PMO professionals at the top of their game are considered to be leaders of programme and project management within the organisation. Alternative routes include progressing in a consultancy capacity or leaving the domain of programme and project management for other senior management roles in business.
Head of Programmes and Projects and Director level roles are considered to be senior management / board level positions. The accumulation of many years of practice and leadership are celebrated and rewarded by reaching this senior level.
The next stages in the project management career paths;
The Programme Manager to Head of Programmes / Projects Path
Running an organisation's programme and project management practice; creating a senior level / board portfolio structure or heading up a division which is responsible for client facing programmes and projects would be considered to be the pinnacle of a programme and project management career.
The Head role brings together all the practical application experience; the senior leadership; strategic insights; operational excellence and business acumen. Taking on the responsibility for ensuring the "right programmes and projects are delivered in the right way" is the high level objective for this role.