Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Software manager to ICT project manager

A software manager already meets 26% of what the ICT project manager role asks for. The move turns on 18 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From software manager
26 % overlap
Distant match
To ICT project manager
16 You already bring
18 Still to learn
71 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance A rebuild

79.5/ 100

1 How much of what an ICT project 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 project manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

An ICT project manager role treats 8 of its required skills as things a software manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • ICT project management
  • ICT project management methodologies
  • apply conflict management
  • coach employees
  • define technology strategy
  • manage ICT project

What stands in the way is 18 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 16 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An ICT project 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 manage ICT project management skills
  • already held use ICT ticketing system working with computers
  • already held ICT project management business, administration and law
  • already held ICT system user requirements information and communication technologies (icts)
  • already held define technology strategy management skills
  • already held Process-based management business, administration and law

All 16 carried skills, including the 8 the ICT project manager role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 55 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.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 information skills 7 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn manage project information required
  • still to learn analyse business plans required
  • still to learn estimate duration of work required
  • still to learn identify legal requirements required
  • still to learn perform resource planning required
  • still to learn perform risk analysis required
  • still to learn provide cost benefit analysis reports required
  • optional, not held execute ICT audits optional
  • optional, not held implement ICT risk management optional
  • optional, not held maintain a central project repository optional
02 management skills 5 required, 6 supplementary
  • still to learn create project specifications required
  • still to learn manage budgets required
  • still to learn manage project changes required
  • still to learn perform project management required
  • still to learn recruit employees required
  • optional, not held apply change management optional
  • optional, not held apply organisational techniques optional
  • optional, not held carry out project activities optional
  • optional, not held define technical requirements optional
  • optional, not held develop information standards optional
  • optional, not held organise project meetings optional
03 business, administration and law 2 required, 5 supplementary
  • still to learn internal risk management policy required
  • still to learn quality standards required
  • optional, not held crowdsourcing strategy optional
  • optional, not held insourcing strategy optional
  • optional, not held outsourcing strategy optional
  • optional, not held legal requirements of ICT products optional
  • optional, not held project configuration management optional
04 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 required, 5 supplementary
  • still to learn build business relationships required
  • still to learn define roadmap for blockchain in applications required
  • optional, not held maintain relationship with suppliers optional
  • optional, not held create solutions to problems optional
  • optional, not held draft project documentation optional
  • optional, not held manage localisation optional
  • optional, not held perform procurement processes optional
05 information and communication technologies (icts) 1 required, 16 supplementary
  • still to learn blockchain mining principles required
  • optional, not held Agile development optional
  • optional, not held DevOps optional
  • optional, not held ICT process quality models optional
  • optional, not held Open source model optional
  • optional, not held Outsourcing model optional
  • optional, not held Prototyping development optional
  • optional, not held Rapid application development optional
  • optional, not held Spiral development optional
  • optional, not held Waterfall development optional
  • optional, not held hybrid model optional
  • optional, not held incremental development optional
  • optional, not held iterative development optional
  • optional, not held object-oriented modelling optional
  • optional, not held service-oriented modelling optional
  • optional, not held software architecture models optional
  • optional, not held software design methodologies optional
06 working with computers 1 required, 1 supplementary
  • still to learn develop blockchain technology required
  • optional, not held use e-procurement optional

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries an ICT project 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 16 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held ICT project management knowledge
  • already held ICT project management methodologies knowledge
  • already held apply conflict management skill
  • already held coach employees skill
  • already held define technology strategy skill
  • already held manage ICT project skill
  • already held manage staff skill
  • already held train employees skill
  • already held Agile project management knowledge
  • already held ICT system user requirements knowledge
  • already held Process-based management knowledge
  • already held digital systems knowledge
  • already held lean project management knowledge
  • already held quality assurance methodologies knowledge
  • already held systems development life-cycle knowledge
  • already held use ICT ticketing system skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 social sciences, journalism and information 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held document management optional
37 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held Agile development optional
  • optional, not held DevOps optional
  • optional, not held ICT process quality models optional
  • optional, not held Open source model optional
  • optional, not held Outsourcing model optional
  • optional, not held Prototyping development optional
  • optional, not held Rapid application development optional
  • optional, not held Spiral development optional
  • optional, not held Waterfall development optional
  • optional, not held crowdsourcing strategy optional
  • optional, not held document management optional
  • optional, not held execute ICT audits optional
  • optional, not held hybrid model optional
  • optional, not held implement ICT risk management optional
  • optional, not held incremental development optional
  • optional, not held insourcing strategy optional
  • optional, not held iterative development optional
  • optional, not held maintain relationship with suppliers optional
  • optional, not held object-oriented modelling optional
  • optional, not held outsourcing strategy optional
  • optional, not held service-oriented modelling optional
  • optional, not held software architecture models optional
  • optional, not held software design methodologies optional
  • optional, not held use e-procurement optional
  • optional, not held apply change management optional
  • optional, not held apply organisational techniques optional
  • optional, not held carry out project activities optional
  • optional, not held create solutions to problems optional
  • optional, not held define technical requirements optional
  • optional, not held develop information standards optional
  • optional, not held draft project documentation optional
  • optional, not held legal requirements of ICT products optional
  • optional, not held maintain a central project repository optional
  • optional, not held manage localisation optional
  • optional, not held organise project meetings optional
  • optional, not held perform procurement processes optional
  • optional, not held project configuration management optional
32 held skills the ICT project manager role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • 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 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 system organisational policies 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 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 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
  • not needed by the target role use different communication channels skill
  • not needed by the target role use methodologies for user-centered design skill
25 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 blockchain mining principles required
  • still to learn internal risk management policy required
  • still to learn quality standards required
  • optional, not held Agile development optional
  • optional, not held DevOps optional
  • optional, not held ICT process quality models optional
  • optional, not held Open source model optional
  • optional, not held Outsourcing model optional
  • optional, not held Prototyping development optional
  • optional, not held Rapid application development optional
  • optional, not held Spiral development optional
  • optional, not held Waterfall development optional
  • optional, not held crowdsourcing strategy optional
  • optional, not held document management optional
  • optional, not held hybrid model optional
  • optional, not held incremental development optional
  • optional, not held insourcing strategy optional
  • optional, not held iterative development optional
  • optional, not held object-oriented modelling optional
  • optional, not held outsourcing strategy optional
  • optional, not held service-oriented modelling optional
  • optional, not held software architecture models optional
  • optional, not held software design methodologies optional
  • optional, not held legal requirements of ICT products optional
  • optional, not held project configuration management 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 project manager?

Yes, and it is a career change move. A software manager already covers 26% of what an ICT project manager is expected to do: 16 skills carry over, 8 of which the ICT project manager role treats as required.

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

18 required skills are missing, plus 37 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is blockchain mining principles.

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

Its learning distance is 79.5 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.