How to Make a Transition from Engineering to Project Management?

When it comes to career advancement, getting pigeonholed could have serious repercussions. Moreover, if you have spent your last 6 to 10 years in the ranks of a technical position and thinking of attaining a managerial position, then obtaining a certificate in a Project Management Course is the way to go forward. On the other hand, you would be interested to know that only 20% of significant organizations actively operate leadership development programs and a meager 5% emphasize bringing out the managerial skills of their technical staff. The above data highlights the importance of a PMP course in case you are designated as an engineer. 
As an engineer who has pursued a project management certificate, his decision to pursue a Project Management Professional certification was based on the fact that it helped him codify his work. Moreover, it was useful for him in future transitions. Another belief lies in the fact that it forced him to learn formalized project management strategies and techniques. Since obtaining his certificate in 2011, he has achieved the goal of solidifying his project management skills. On the other hand, it has also given him a formalized manner of viewing project management. According to him, it was well beyond the benefits of on-job training that he picked up in his engineering work.  

Know more about project description and conflict management.

How to Become a Project Management Professional from Engineer

As an engineer, it is quite probable that you would always be involved in some projects, either as team members or project leaders. The primary objective to pursue the Project Management Professional stands on two notions. The first is with the help of a PMP certificate; an engineer could codify the work and can make prosperous career transitions in the future. It would also help an engineer to learn formalized strategies related to Project Management. Here is the list of ten ways with the help of which you can facilitate your transition.  

Read more about characteristics of project management.

1. Enrolling yourself in a PMP Certification Course

Obtaining a certificate in a PMP course is an industry standard for the aspiring managers as it depicts to the employers that you have achieved a high level of managerial education in successfully supervising a project. During the PMP course, you would come across the following learning objectives. 

• Conducting interviews and extracting valuable information
• Planning projects in a detailed manner and afterward establishing an optimal solution.
• Assigning and planning your resources most efficiently and cost-effectively.

Moving from a Technical Position to Project Management in 10 Easy Steps 3 min

2. Lay more emphasis on Emotional Intelligence (EI)

You are an engineer, and you are well versed with the notion of Intelligence Quotient. In fact IQ got you where you are today. However, if you want to make a successful career transition, then EI is the best bet.

Emotional Intelligence usually encompasses your skills related to monitoring, managing and regulating the emotions in a healthy and balanced manner in a bid to achieve various business aims. In other words, as a project manager, you would have to rely 10% on your IQ and 90% on EI. 

3. Improve your interpersonal skills

It is a widely accepted fact that no company or organization would recognize you as a project manager if you sit at your desk all day. It is vital to develop your interaction skills with your fellow employees who would further boost your relationship with others. On the other hand, it would also profit your relationship with the senior managerial staff. Moreover, it would also assist you to convince them you are the right person for the job.

4. Emphasize on your dealing skills

It is crucial for you to note that managers are required to negotiate deals on a daily basis. These dealing can encompass both minor negotiations and large contracts. However, it is also vital for you to note that the proper development of negotiation skills takes time and you can improve your negotiation skills with the help of an online course. Excellent negotiation skills would always help you to showcase your talents to the top administrators of the company. 

5. Grow your determination 

As a project manager, sometimes would truly test your patience. However, the best way to test the limits of your tolerance level is to stay affixed to your goals during a project. You have to keep the bigger picture in your mind while achieving the goals of Project Management. The duty of a project manager requires a thick skin to emerge victoriously.

6. Leading from the front

The main aim of a Project Manager is to motivate those who are working on your instructions. On the other hand, the goal of a project is of utmost importance to you, but your workforce would have different priorities than the goal of your project. Hence, you need to gain adequate motivational skills to make sure that the purpose of your particular project gets fulfilled.

7. Always possess an attitude to learn and grow while working

Besides maintaining an all-around knowledge of your organization's various departments, it is also vital on your part to have an opinion that would reap you with luxurious benefits. Standing still and learning nothing should never be your ideology while you are a manager of a project.

8. Get a mentor

In case you are appointed as a Project Manager, you should always consult the professionals out there who possess the same kind of skills. Hence, make sure that you approach people with the desired skills so that he or she can guide you through the process of successfully managing a project in real industrial situations. However, the selection of a specific mentor is a personal matter. You should always be on the lookout for that kind of a mentor who can inspire, encourage, maintain high standards and interpret body language. You can also opt to attend team meetings with your mentor to make sure that you gain skills as per your mentor.

9. Emphasizing the use of project management tools

Your knowledge and experience are of utmost importance to you and your organization. However, you also need to make sure that you utilize the tools that are available to project managers. To give you a crystal clear idea, some of the standard tools are Gantt Charts and Earned Value Analysis.

The Typical Phases in Project Management 7 min

10. Opt for gaining experience of various stages of project management

You would be well-aware of the fact that projects are usually split into multiple steps, and each one of these scenes comes with its own set of challenges. Hence, it can be said that if you are looking to progress from a technical position to a manager, you need to comprehend the importance of all these stages. You should always take care to pro-actively seek out new projects at various stages of their existence.