ICT research manager to software manager
An ICT research manager already meets 29% of what the software manager role asks for. The move turns on 16 required skills not yet in the profile.
75.8/ 100
1 How much of what a software manager is expected to do is already part of an ICT research 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 software manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A software manager role treats 7 of its required skills as things an ICT research manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- ICT project management
- ICT project management methodologies
- apply system organisational policies
- execute analytical mathematical calculations
- manage ICT project
- monitor technology trends
What stands in the way is 16 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 13 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 research manager background worth leading with.
- already held monitor ICT research information skills
- already held apply system organisational policies assisting and caring
- already held provide user documentation communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held manage ICT project management skills
- already held ICT project management business, administration and law
- already held monitor technology trends information skills
All 13 carried skills, including the 7 the software manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 35 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
- still to learn systems development life-cycle 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 analyse software specifications required
- still to learn use an application-specific interface required
- still to learn use ICT ticketing system 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 tender processes optional
- still to learn evaluate cost of software products required
- still to learn manage data required
- optional, not held analyse ICT technical proposals optional
- optional, not held identify ICT user needs optional
- still to learn apply ICT system usage policies required
- still to learn ensure adherence to organisational ICT standards required
- still to learn create software design required
- optional, not held interact with users to gather requirements 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 negotiate buying conditions optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
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 analyse software specifications practise 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 13 skills that carry over
- already held ICT project management knowledge
- already held ICT project management methodologies knowledge
- already held apply system organisational policies skill
- already held execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
- already held manage ICT project skill
- already held monitor technology trends skill
- already held organisational policies knowledge
- already held Agile project management knowledge
- already held Process-based management knowledge
- already held lean project management knowledge
- already held manage staff skill
- already held monitor ICT research skill
- already held provide user documentation skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- still to learn quality assurance methodologies required
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 identify ICT user needs optional
- optional, not held interact with users to gather requirements optional
- optional, not held mobile operating systems 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 tender processes optional
- optional, not held negotiate buying conditions optional
- optional, not held train employees optional
- optional, not held use different communication channels optional
36 held skills the software manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role ICT market knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT power consumption knowledge
- not needed by the target role LDAP knowledge
- not needed by the target role LINQ knowledge
- not needed by the target role MDX knowledge
- not needed by the target role N1QL knowledge
- not needed by the target role SPARQL knowledge
- not needed by the target role XQuery knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply reverse engineering skill
- not needed by the target role apply statistical analysis techniques skill
- not needed by the target role apply systemic design thinking skill
- not needed by the target role build business relationships skill
- not needed by the target role conduct literature research skill
- not needed by the target role conduct qualitative research skill
- not needed by the target role conduct quantitative research skill
- not needed by the target role conduct research interview skill
- not needed by the target role conduct scholarly research skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate technological activities skill
- not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
- not needed by the target role crowdsourcing strategy knowledge
- not needed by the target role emergent technologies knowledge
- not needed by the target role execute ICT user research activities skill
- not needed by the target role identify technological needs skill
- not needed by the target role information extraction knowledge
- not needed by the target role innovate in ICT skill
- not needed by the target role innovation processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role insourcing strategy knowledge
- not needed by the target role outsourcing strategy knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform data mining skill
- not needed by the target role plan research process skill
- not needed by the target role process data skill
- not needed by the target role query languages knowledge
- not needed by the target role report analysis results skill
- not needed by the target role resource description framework query language knowledge
- not needed by the target role scientific research methodology knowledge
- not needed by the target role write research proposals skill
12 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 data storage 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
- still to learn systems development life-cycle 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 research manager become a software manager?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An ICT research manager already covers 29% of what a software manager is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 7 of which the software manager role treats as required.
What skills does an ICT research manager need to become a software manager?
16 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 research manager to software manager?
Its learning distance is 75.8 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.