[NA] Any Non-IT Project Managers here

SixPapaCharlie

SixPapaCharlie

May the force be with you
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My current contract expires in a month.
I had an interview yesterday that I felt went terribly.

The job description was worded such that it looked like exactly like what I do.
We start talking and answer their questions and they seem cool with my responses.

Then I start talking about that I do.

She says "Did you read the job description?"
Me: "Yup, several times"
Her: "You do know this is not an IT position right? We have an IT department and they handle all the stuff you describe"

It got awkward from that point on

I bring a laundry list of questions to any interview as I am there to interview them as well but all my questions were about IT processes so I stumbled trying to morph them into non IT type questions and it was ugly.

It ended really bad or so I felt.

30 minutes later I get a call asking for a face to face interview with the team next week.

I am pretty interested in this position as it is in aviation and now it sounds like a chance to get out of IT which I am ready to do.

So this is a PM position within a PMO but in operations versus IT.
Do the skills translate or is this a whole nother ballgame?
 
Hmmm... Based on your location I wonder if it's with my company.

Anyway, I would say that project management is project management. You manage the people and resources to get the job done.
 
Anymouse said:
...Anyway, I would say that project management is project management. You manage the people and resources to get the job done.
Click to expand...

and by this he means you get to annoy the living sh#@ out of non-IT people too.

sorry, did I mention I friggin hate PM's?

good luck in your search tho.
 
eman1200 said:
and by this he means you get to annoy the living sh#@ out of non-IT people too.

sorry, did I mention I friggin hate PM's?

good luck in your search tho.
Click to expand...

I can poke holes in his coffee cups
 
The skills translate. They were probably warning you that you'll have to talk to people who don't know what Star Trek is. Haha.
 
I did project management with telecom, when it was analog service. I could interface with IT and non IT, non IT professionals loved that I could interpret, no... cut through IT's BS crap and get the job done.

I did very well and was an independent contractor.

The key is to have a process that works, and be able to adapt it to different situations.

.......and lots of clients.........
 
...... there is always the auto salvage world :rolleyes:
 
So I'm still active duty and a PMP. I have never done IT stuff. Operations PM work seems easy to me since my experience has been all about people getting the work done.
 
I am a project manager. Ok I supervise project managers. Ok if I get stuck doing project management I screwed up and didn't delegate properly. Ok I'm doing shots now, sooooo
 
We require our project managers to complete a Project Implementation Management Plan (PIMP). Then they can generate Hourly Operation plans (HO's). In my experience, a functional HO requires a good PIMP.
 
Im senior PM in large multifamily construction. A good PM in my field has to have intimate knowledge of the type of buildings we do, which are seriously complicated and under designed. Someone trying to switch over from commerial or industrial would have a hell of a lot to learn. Unless of course your style of management is delegating everything so you can avoid knowing much about the details and can blame others for the screwups. Met a few of those. Not much of a reputation in the industry....
 
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I've done both sides in the past, agree with the point made above about needing to develop sufficient subject matter expertise to be able to effectively manage the project, but the base skills are wholly transferable. Brush up on your Organizational Change Management skills though, those often get underplayed in an IT-focussed project, and are critical for an Ops project.
 
I switched from CMMS implementations (software) to physical construction PMing two years ago. It helped that I was an instrument & control tech in a previous life and am now doing safety system (SIS) automation upgrades. It can be done.
 
I work with project managers every day, my industry is strong so I see a lot of new faces being hired by the company's that I do business with. A lot of the PM's are coming from other occupations and its obvious. One thing for sure, when we start a project, the bus is leaving the station so what you don't know your going to learn really quick, My CFI called it drinking form a fire hydrant. I agree the base skills are transferable as long as you can handle pressure, and can stay organized. Just surround yourself with good quality people and sub contractors.
 
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