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Nima
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# Posted: 7 Sep 2006 00:55
Reply
All our project managers are people who used to be engineers at one point in their career. I cannot possibly imagine having someone who does not have programming experience work as a project manager on a software development project. To me this would be a recipe for desaster.
When staffing projects it is a crucial success factor to choose a project manager with the required technical experience.
I would like to know what experience proffessionals from industries other than IT have made regarding this matter.
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VK
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# Posted: 22 Oct 2006 14:07
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I disagree. Personally, I am not someone from with a technical background (International Relations [BA] -> Project Management [MA]); however, I do have extensive experience managing software developers on small- to mid-size projects and can attest that while it is important to understand basic development methodology and concepts, having programming experience is far from being necessary to ensure projects' success. Depending on the project, it is enough to have a lead developer act as a team leader and report directly to you. With that person being your right hand, you can then make accurate cost/time/budget estimates and then manage the workflow.
Additionally, it saddens me to see that the majority of MBA and MPM graduates are ex-engineers who took a couple of courses in business/project management. Common sense, leadership qualities and talent for hiring and retaining the right people, coupled with formal PM education, make for a successful project manager. Expertise in respective industries, in my opinion, is just a bonus.
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Nima
Member
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# Posted: 23 Oct 2006 17:59
Reply
VK, thanks very much for your contribution. Allow me ta ask you:What do you consider small to mid-size projects? How many man-hours are we talking about. How big are your project teams in general?
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groogle
Member
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# Posted: 4 Dec 2007 05:48
Reply
Hi Nima.. after going thru Vk's post .. I agree with him/her.. as I am having a mix bag of yours thoughts and VK's profile.. I believe its not important to have a highly techy person for project management, herein what I believe is important is to ensure projects' success. The main capabilities of handling, evaluating, motivating and monitoring a team to get the job done is crucial... Also, the major component to consider is Communication (Verbal and written)..
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Nima
Member
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# Posted: 10 Dec 2007 14:04
Reply
Hi Groogle,
yes this makes sense to me. However, I believe it also depends on the size of the project. I think the smaller the project is, the more important it is for the project manager to have technical skills, as he will be handling more technical issues. If the project is fairly large, and already employs a lot of technical experts, resource allocation and management skills become more relevant than technical expertise.
Best,
Nima
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