RecordMove

Software manager to ICT operations manager

A software manager already meets 24% of what the ICT operations manager role asks for. The move turns on 12 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional

From software manager

Distant match

To ICT operations manager

7 You already bring

12 Still to learn

41 Skills in the target role2

Learning distance A rebuild

75.6/ 100

adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change

1 How much of what an ICT operations manager is expected to do is already part of a software 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 operations manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

An ICT operations manager role treats 6 of its required skills as things a software manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

define technology strategy
digital systems
manage staff
train employees
use ICT ticketing system
use different communication channels

What stands in the way is 12 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 7 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An ICT operations manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a software manager background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held use ICT ticketing system working with computers
already held define technology strategy management skills
already held digital systems information and communication technologies (icts)
already held systems development life-cycle information and communication technologies (icts)
already held train employees communication, collaboration and creativity
already held manage staff management skills

All 7 carried skills, including the 6 the ICT operations manager role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 34 missing skills fall into 8 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.

Skill to pick up Tier

01 management skills 4 required, 4 supplementary

still to learn develop ICT workflow required
still to learn improve business processes required
still to learn manage budgets required
still to learn perform project management required

optional, not held coordinate technological activities optional
optional, not held apply organisational techniques optional
optional, not held develop information standards optional
optional, not held recruit employees optional

02 business, administration and law 2 required, 5 supplementary

still to learn innovation processes required
still to learn operations management required

optional, not held crowdsourcing strategy optional
optional, not held hardware components suppliers optional
optional, not held insourcing strategy optional
optional, not held outsourcing strategy optional
optional, not held contract law optional

03 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn maintain relationship with suppliers required
still to learn design process required

optional, not held manage contracts optional
optional, not held perform procurement processes optional

04 working with computers 2 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn attend to ICT systems quality required
still to learn manage changes in ICT system required

optional, not held implement ICT security policies optional
optional, not held implement a virtual private network optional

05 information skills 1 required, 2 supplementary

still to learn track key performance indicators required

optional, not held implement ICT risk management optional
optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional

06 assisting and caring 1 required, 1 supplementary

still to learn oversee quality control required

optional, not held comply with legal regulations optional

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries an ICT operations manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 7 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held define technology strategy skill
already held digital systems knowledge
already held manage staff skill
already held train employees skill
already held use ICT ticketing system skill
already held use different communication channels skill
already held systems development life-cycle knowledge

The 2 learning areas not shown above

Skill to pick up Tier

07 information and communication technologies (icts) 5 supplementary

optional, not held ICT process quality models optional
optional, not held core banking software optional
optional, not held software components libraries optional
optional, not held software components suppliers optional
optional, not held hardware components optional

08 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 supplementary

optional, not held engineering processes optional

22 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to pick up Tier

optional, not held ICT process quality models optional
optional, not held coordinate technological activities optional
optional, not held core banking software optional
optional, not held crowdsourcing strategy optional
optional, not held engineering processes optional
optional, not held hardware components suppliers optional
optional, not held implement ICT risk management optional
optional, not held implement ICT security policies optional
optional, not held implement a virtual private network optional
optional, not held insourcing strategy optional
optional, not held outsourcing strategy optional
optional, not held software components libraries optional
optional, not held software components suppliers optional
optional, not held apply organisational techniques optional
optional, not held comply with legal regulations optional
optional, not held contract law optional
optional, not held develop information standards optional
optional, not held hardware components optional
optional, not held manage contracts optional
optional, not held perform procurement processes optional
optional, not held provide cost benefit analysis reports optional
optional, not held recruit employees optional

41 held skills the ICT operations manager role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role Agile project management knowledge
not needed by the target role Android (mobile operating systems) knowledge
not needed by the target role BlackBerry 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 Process-based management knowledge
not needed by the target role analyse ICT technical proposals skill
not needed by the target role analyse software specifications skill
not needed by the target role apply ICT system usage policies skill
not needed by the target role apply conflict management skill
not needed by the target role apply system organisational policies skill
not needed by the target role coach employees skill
not needed by the target role create software design skill
not needed by the target role data storage knowledge
not needed by the target role ensure adherence to organisational ICT standards skill
not needed by the target role evaluate cost of software products skill
not needed by the target role execute analytical mathematical calculations skill
not needed by the target role give live presentation skill
not needed by the target role iOS knowledge
not needed by the target role identify ICT user needs skill
not needed by the target role interact with users to gather requirements skill
not needed by the target role lean project management knowledge
not needed by the target role manage ICT project skill
not needed by the target role manage business knowledge skill
not needed by the target role manage data skill
not needed by the target role manage schedule of tasks skill
not needed by the target role manage software localisation skill
not needed by the target role manage tender processes skill
not needed by the target role mobile operating systems knowledge
not needed by the target role monitor ICT research skill
not needed by the target role monitor technology trends skill
not needed by the target role negotiate buying conditions skill
not needed by the target role organisational policies knowledge
not needed by the target role provide user documentation skill
not needed by the target role quality assurance methodologies knowledge
not needed by the target role software metrics knowledge
not needed by the target role trading software knowledge
not needed by the target role unified modelling language knowledge
not needed by the target role use an application-specific interface skill

1 further entry not listed here

13 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier

still to learn innovation processes required
still to learn operations management required
optional, not held ICT process quality models optional
optional, not held core banking software optional
optional, not held crowdsourcing strategy optional
optional, not held engineering processes optional
optional, not held hardware components suppliers optional
optional, not held insourcing strategy optional
optional, not held outsourcing strategy optional
optional, not held software components libraries optional
optional, not held software components suppliers optional
optional, not held contract law optional
optional, not held hardware components optional

Index

Other moves recorded from software manager

Full index of moves from software manager

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can a software manager become an ICT operations manager?

Yes, and it is a career change move. A software manager already covers 24% of what an ICT operations manager is expected to do: 7 skills carry over, 6 of which the ICT operations manager role treats as required.

What skills does a software manager need to become an ICT operations manager?

12 required skills are missing, plus 22 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is attend to ICT systems quality.

How hard is the move from software manager to ICT operations manager?

Its learning distance is 75.6 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

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.