ICT project manager to ICT vendor relationship manager
An ICT project manager already meets 27% of what the ICT vendor relationship manager role asks for. The move turns on 14 required skills not yet in the profile.
72.4/ 100
1 How much of what an ICT vendor relationship manager is expected to do is already part of an ICT project manager’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 ICT vendor relationship manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An ICT vendor relationship manager role treats 5 of its required skills as things an ICT project manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- crowdsourcing strategy
- insourcing strategy
- maintain relationship with suppliers
- manage budgets
- outsourcing strategy
What stands in the way is 14 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 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An ICT vendor relationship manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an ICT project manager background worth leading with.
- already held crowdsourcing strategy business, administration and law
- already held insourcing strategy business, administration and law
- already held outsourcing strategy business, administration and law
- already held perform procurement processes communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held maintain relationship with suppliers communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held build business relationships communication, collaboration and creativity
All 9 carried skills, including the 5 the ICT vendor relationship manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 24 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 ICT market required
- still to learn ICT sales methodologies required
- still to learn contract law required
- still to learn supply chain management required
- optional, not held hardware components suppliers optional
- optional, not held business processes optional
- still to learn analyse supply chain trends required
- still to learn prepare purchasing reportings required
- still to learn track price trends required
- still to learn analyse supply chain strategies required
- optional, not held assess supplier risks optional
- still to learn coordinate purchasing activities required
- still to learn maintain relationship with customers required
- still to learn manage contracts required
- optional, not held compare contractors' bids optional
- optional, not held design process optional
- optional, not held negotiate buying conditions optional
- still to learn issue purchase orders required
- still to learn identify suppliers required
- optional, not held carry out tendering optional
- optional, not held forecast workload optional
- still to learn electronic communication required
- optional, not held adhere to organisational guidelines optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an ICT vendor relationship manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 ICT market study this
- 02 ICT sales methodologies study this
- 03 analyse supply chain trends 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 9 skills that carry over
- already held crowdsourcing strategy knowledge
- already held insourcing strategy knowledge
- already held maintain relationship with suppliers skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held outsourcing strategy knowledge
- already held build business relationships skill
- already held manage staff skill
- already held perform procurement processes skill
- already held perform project management skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held software components suppliers optional
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held assess supplier risks optional
- optional, not held hardware components suppliers optional
- optional, not held software components suppliers optional
- optional, not held adhere to organisational guidelines optional
- optional, not held business processes optional
- optional, not held carry out tendering optional
- optional, not held compare contractors' bids optional
- optional, not held design process optional
- optional, not held forecast workload optional
- optional, not held negotiate buying conditions optional
62 held skills the ICT vendor relationship manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role Agile development knowledge
- not needed by the target role Agile project management knowledge
- not needed by the target role DevOps knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT process quality models knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT project management knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT project management methodologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT system user requirements knowledge
- not needed by the target role Open source model knowledge
- not needed by the target role Outsourcing model knowledge
- not needed by the target role Process-based management knowledge
- not needed by the target role Prototyping development knowledge
- not needed by the target role Rapid application development knowledge
- not needed by the target role Spiral development knowledge
- not needed by the target role Waterfall development knowledge
- not needed by the target role analyse business plans skill
- not needed by the target role apply change management skill
- not needed by the target role apply conflict management skill
- not needed by the target role apply organisational techniques skill
- not needed by the target role blockchain mining principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role carry out project activities skill
- not needed by the target role coach employees skill
- not needed by the target role create project specifications skill
- not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
- not needed by the target role define roadmap for blockchain in applications skill
- not needed by the target role define technical requirements skill
- not needed by the target role define technology strategy skill
- not needed by the target role develop blockchain technology skill
- not needed by the target role develop information standards skill
- not needed by the target role digital systems knowledge
- not needed by the target role document management knowledge
- not needed by the target role draft project documentation skill
- not needed by the target role estimate duration of work skill
- not needed by the target role execute ICT audits skill
- not needed by the target role hybrid model knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify legal requirements skill
- not needed by the target role implement ICT risk management skill
- not needed by the target role incremental development knowledge
- not needed by the target role internal risk management policy knowledge
- not needed by the target role iterative development knowledge
- not needed by the target role lean project management knowledge
22 further entries not listed here
8 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 market required
- still to learn ICT sales methodologies required
- still to learn contract law required
- still to learn electronic communication required
- still to learn supply chain management required
- optional, not held hardware components suppliers optional
- optional, not held software components suppliers optional
- optional, not held business processes optional
Other moves recorded from ICT project manager
- telecommunications manager 51% covered · moderate
- project support officer 49% covered · substantial
- ICT operations manager 46% covered · substantial
- ICT documentation manager 45% covered · substantial
- project manager 45% covered · substantial
- ICT product manager 44% covered · substantial
- software manager 34% covered · substantial
- ICT change and configuration manager 34% covered · substantial
Common questions about this move
Can an ICT project manager become an ICT vendor relationship manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. An ICT project manager already covers 27% of what an ICT vendor relationship manager is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 5 of which the ICT vendor relationship manager role treats as required.
What skills does an ICT project manager need to become an ICT vendor relationship manager?
14 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is ICT market.
How hard is the move from ICT project manager to ICT vendor relationship manager?
Its learning distance is 72.4 out of 100, which is the substantial 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.