ICT consultant to software manager
An ICT consultant already meets 19% of what the software manager role asks for. The move turns on 19 required skills not yet in the profile.
82.7/ 100
1 How much of what a software manager is expected to do is already part of an ICT consultant’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the software manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A software manager role treats 4 of its required skills as things an ICT consultant already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- ICT project management methodologies
- analyse software specifications
- manage ICT project
- systems development life-cycle
What stands in the way is 19 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 10 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A software manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an ICT consultant background worth leading with.
- already held provide user documentation communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage ICT project management skills
- already held interact with users to gather requirements communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held identify ICT user needs information skills
- already held analyse software specifications working with computers
- already held Process-based management business, administration and law
All 10 carried skills, including the 4 the software manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 38 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn data storage required
- still to learn software metrics required
- still to learn unified modelling language required
- still to learn digital systems required
- optional, not held Android (mobile operating systems) optional
- optional, not held BlackBerry optional
- optional, not held ICT system user requirements optional
- optional, not held iOS optional
- optional, not held mobile operating systems optional
- optional, not held trading software optional
- still to learn evaluate cost of software products required
- still to learn manage data required
- still to learn execute analytical mathematical calculations required
- still to learn monitor technology trends required
- optional, not held analyse ICT technical proposals optional
- optional, not held monitor ICT research optional
- still to learn apply ICT system usage policies required
- still to learn ensure adherence to organisational ICT standards required
- still to learn apply system organisational policies required
- still to learn ICT project management required
- still to learn organisational policies required
- still to learn quality assurance methodologies required
- still to learn define technology strategy required
- still to learn manage business knowledge required
- optional, not held manage software localisation optional
- optional, not held manage schedule of tasks optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- optional, not held manage tender processes optional
- still to learn use an application-specific interface required
- still to learn use ICT ticketing system required
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a software manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 evaluate cost of software products practise this
- 02 ICT project management study this
- 03 apply ICT system usage policies practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 10 skills that carry over
- already held ICT project management methodologies knowledge
- already held analyse software specifications skill
- already held manage ICT project skill
- already held systems development life-cycle knowledge
- already held Agile project management knowledge
- already held Process-based management knowledge
- already held identify ICT user needs skill
- already held interact with users to gather requirements skill
- already held lean project management knowledge
- already held provide user documentation skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- still to learn create software design required
- optional, not held use methodologies for user-centered design optional
- optional, not held apply conflict management optional
- optional, not held coach employees optional
- optional, not held give live presentation optional
- optional, not held negotiate buying conditions optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
19 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held analyse ICT technical proposals optional
- optional, not held manage software localisation optional
- optional, not held Android (mobile operating systems) optional
- optional, not held BlackBerry optional
- optional, not held ICT system user requirements optional
- optional, not held iOS optional
- optional, not held mobile operating systems optional
- optional, not held monitor ICT research optional
- optional, not held trading software optional
- optional, not held use methodologies for user-centered design optional
- optional, not held apply conflict management optional
- optional, not held coach employees optional
- optional, not held give live presentation optional
- optional, not held manage schedule of tasks optional
- optional, not held manage staff optional
- optional, not held manage tender processes optional
- optional, not held negotiate buying conditions optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
28 held skills the software manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role ICT process quality models knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT sales methodologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT system integration knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse ICT system skill
- not needed by the target role copyright legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role create project specifications skill
- not needed by the target role define technical requirements skill
- not needed by the target role emergent technologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role game theory knowledge
- not needed by the target role hardware components knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify customer requirements skill
- not needed by the target role identify technological needs skill
- not needed by the target role keep task records skill
- not needed by the target role keep up with the latest information systems solutions skill
- not needed by the target role legal requirements of ICT products knowledge
- not needed by the target role maintain relationship with customers skill
- not needed by the target role manage ICT change request process skill
- not needed by the target role manage changes in ICT system skill
- not needed by the target role manage contracts skill
- not needed by the target role manage standard enterprise resource planning system skill
- not needed by the target role monitor system performance skill
- not needed by the target role optimise choice of ICT solution skill
- not needed by the target role provide ICT consulting advice skill
- not needed by the target role software components libraries knowledge
- not needed by the target role solve ICT system problems skill
- not needed by the target role use e-services skill
- not needed by the target role verify formal ICT specifications skill
- not needed by the target role visual presentation techniques knowledge
13 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn ICT project management required
- still to learn data storage required
- still to learn organisational policies required
- still to learn software metrics required
- still to learn unified modelling language required
- still to learn digital systems required
- still to learn quality assurance methodologies required
- optional, not held Android (mobile operating systems) optional
- optional, not held BlackBerry optional
- optional, not held ICT system user requirements optional
- optional, not held iOS optional
- optional, not held mobile operating systems optional
- optional, not held trading software optional
Common questions about this move
Can an ICT consultant become a software manager?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An ICT consultant already covers 19% of what a software manager is expected to do: 10 skills carry over, 4 of which the software manager role treats as required.
What skills does an ICT consultant need to become a software manager?
19 required skills are missing, plus 19 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information and communication technologies (icts). The single most important is evaluate cost of software products.
How hard is the move from ICT consultant to software manager?
Its learning distance is 82.7 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.