What's your project management career path?

2 Intermediate project manager

As an intermediate project manager, you are responsible for planning, executing, and closing medium-scale projects or programs that involve multiple teams, stakeholders, and deliverables. You work with more autonomy and authority than an entry-level project manager, but you still report to a senior project manager or a portfolio manager, who oversees the strategic alignment and governance of your projects or programs. You need to have advanced project management skills, such as managing the scope, schedule, budget, quality, risk, change, and stakeholder expectations. You also need to have strong leadership, communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills to lead and motivate your project teams and deal with complex and uncertain situations. To advance your intermediate project management career, you can pursue certifications, such as the Project Management Professional (PMP) or the PRINCE2 Practitioner, or join professional associations, such as the Project Management Institute (PMI) or the International Project Management Association (IPMA), to network and learn from other project managers.

3 Senior project manager

As a senior project manager, you are responsible for planning, executing, and closing large-scale and high-impact projects or programs that span across multiple functions, departments, or organizations. You work with a high level of responsibility and accountability, and you report to a portfolio manager or an executive sponsor, who provides you with strategic direction and sponsorship. You need to have expert project management skills, such as aligning the project or program objectives with the organizational vision and goals, managing the interdependencies and integration of multiple projects or programs, and ensuring the delivery of the benefits and value to the stakeholders and customers. You also need to have exceptional leadership, communication, negotiation, and influencing skills to manage the expectations and interests of senior executives, external partners, and diverse stakeholders. To excel in your senior project management career, you can pursue certifications, such as the Program Management Professional (PgMP) or the Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP), or enroll in executive education programs, such as the Stanford Advanced Project Management (SAPM) or the Harvard Project Management Leadership Program (PMLP), to enhance your strategic and business acumen.

4 Project management specialist

As a project management specialist, you are responsible for providing specific expertise, knowledge, or skills to support the project management process, methodology, or function. You work as a consultant, advisor, or trainer for project managers, project teams, or project organizations, and you report to a project management director or a project management office (PMO) manager, who oversees the project management standards and practices. You need to have specialized project management skills, such as developing and implementing project management frameworks, models, or systems, conducting project audits, reviews, or evaluations, or delivering project management training, coaching, or mentoring. You also need to have in-depth knowledge and experience in a particular domain, industry, or discipline, such as agile, lean, scrum, software, engineering, construction, or healthcare. To diversify your project management specialist career, you can pursue certifications, such as the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) or the PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP), or participate in research, publications, or conferences on project management trends and innovations.

5 Project management leader

As a project management leader, you are responsible for establishing, leading, and managing the project management function, culture, or strategy within an organization or a business unit. You work as a director, a head, or a chief of project management or a PMO, and you report to a senior executive, such as a CEO, a CIO, or a COO, who sets the organizational vision and direction. You need to have strategic project management skills, such as defining and communicating the project management vision, mission, and values, setting and monitoring the project management goals, metrics, and performance, and developing and empowering the project management talent and capabilities. You also need to have visionary leadership, communication, and relationship-building skills to influence and inspire the organizational culture, values, and behaviors, and to foster collaboration and partnership with internal and external stakeholders. To elevate your project management leader career, you can pursue certifications, such as the PMI Strategic Program Management (SPgM) or the IPMA Certified Project Director (CPD), or seek executive coaching, mentoring, or sponsorship from other project management leaders or experts.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?