First of all, the groups noted that there are three categories of career paths associated with the project management field: entry into project management, movement within project management, and movement outside of project management. After establishing these categorizations we then discussed our experiences with each of these categories.
Entry into the Project Management Field
The groups agreed that project management is not an entry-level position. Most project managers begin their career in another role and many are not aware of the project management profession. Once in their career, these individuals eventually move into a project management position either by choice or by accident. The groups found that some people seek out this role once in the workplace while others are placed into this role by necessity based on the organization's needs. Regardless of how project managers begin their career in the field, most do not initially seek the position before beginning their career.
Movement within the Project Management Field
The groups also agreed that, once in the project management field, there is no clear path for advancement. Some noted titles of Senior Project Manager or Executive Project Manager but these titles were closely associated with the types of projects managed and a few project managers noted migration from these higher titles to lower titles when taking roles on other projects. In other words, advancement in the project management field is not the same in functional areas but rather associated with the type of projects they are assigned to.
It was also noted the emerging roles of Program Manager and Portfolio Manager as potential options for advancement in the project management field. The individuals in these discussions were aware of program and portfolio roles and thought of them as opportunities for project managers but had not observed or experienced project managers moving into these roles. It was also noted that most organizations do not have a clear advancement path for project managers but the participants were aware of some firms beginning to have a Chief Project Officer or having a Portfolio Manager at the executive level of the organization.
Advancement out of the Project Management Field
The final career path category we discussed was advancement out of the project management field. All participants agreed there is no one uniform way to advance outside of the project management field. Experienced project managers develop many skills and become known as a person who gets things done. Also, project managers, through their projects, possess a breadth of knowledge of the organization and have a better understanding of how the organization works compared to managers of any single functional areas. As a result, project managers are in a good position to move to functional roles outside of the project management field.
It was also noted that some project managers choose to return to their functional roles they held prior to becoming a project manager. This can be difficult after time since the technical skills wane when project managers leave the field and become more focused on the project planning and leadership.
Summary
The two groups consisted of project managers from a wide variety of industries and from professionals with the IT field and outside of the IT field. It was interesting to note the common experiences people shared. Our observations were, by and large, uniform. Additionally, we found common challenges in the profession and we all expressed our passion for the field.
These were useful discussions and it was enlightening to find my own experiences echoed by other project managers in different fields. What is your experience? Is it similar to what we found or have you experienced or observed different career paths?
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