How to Become a Technical Project Manager
Sometimes projects encompass more than one area of business and technology. To head up those projects, companies hire technical project managers. These skilled managers have experience in multiple forms of technology and can take on more complicated projects.
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Instructions
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Get a bachelor's degree and certification in fields with a basis in technology. Experience in design, technology, computers, architecture, business and management can help you in your future career as a technical project manager. If you aren't able to attain all of these experiences in school, try signing on for a variety of internships to get some basic skills.
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Bone up on your statistics knowledge. When you become a technical project manager, you will find yourself calculating the possibilities of risk depending on which system or stock your group chooses.
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Know your "codes" and "conversions." To become a technical project manager, you will need to know a wide variety of terminology used in various departments to ensure you are managing the project properly. If you're not up on their buzzwords, learn to decode them at the Buzzwhack website (see Resources below).
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Start small. Before you try to manage a technical project alone, get experience managing smaller groups of people on smaller projects. Working under pressure changes people, and you can hone your skills on a smaller scale with less risk than if you started with a large project.
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Always start and end a meeting with your team with time for organization. You all should be on the same page when it comes to what's completed and what's next. Consider using a planner or a master Microsoft Word document to keep the changes centrally available.
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Tips & Warnings
Knowledge of hardware and software is helpful in this field, but too often managers are taught one or the other. Get hands-on experience at work or in class to make sure your skills in both are strong.
Brainstorm with your team. Some of the best ideas for fixing a problem or making a product better come from informal idea sessions.
Don't be afraid to ask for help. While a technical project manager is expected to know a lot about various technologies, it's impossible to know everything. Rather than assume you understand something, clarify it and find out more if it turns out the project is something different than you envisioned.
