Digital Transformation on Trayix

From project manager to product manager

Wed, 13 Mar 2019 09:00:00 +0000

When an organization moves from funding projects to funding persistent product teams, project managers start asking what’s next for them. It’s a fair question. If projects stop being the unit of work, what happens to the people who managed them? The answer isn’t “they disappear,” but it isn’t “nothing changes” either.

Several paths

Project managers have more options than they often realize.

Product manager or product owner. These roles decide what the team builds and why. They own priorities and answer for results.
Delivery lead. Some teams still need someone to coordinate dependencies, remove obstacles, and keep work flowing. This role resembles a Scrum Master or release manager, with a broader view.
Portfolio and PMO roles. Someone still has to see across teams, manage capacity, and report on value. Project managers with a strong grasp of planning and governance fit well.
Program or change leadership. Large efforts that cross several products still need coordination.

None is a demotion. They are different jobs, and the right one depends on what you enjoy. If you like deciding what to build, look at product work. If you like making teams effective, look at delivery. If you like seeing the whole picture, look at portfolio.

Fund teams, not projects

Wed, 13 Sep 2017 09:00:00 +0000

The usual way to fund software is to approve a project, assemble a team, build the thing, and disband the team. Then, a few months later, the business asks for changes, and a new project starts with a new team that has to learn everything again. Some organizations are trying a different model: fund a persistent team around a product or value stream, and let the work change while the team stays.

What digital transformation means for project managers

Wed, 15 Feb 2017 09:00:00 +0000

“Digital transformation” appears in every conference agenda and vendor deck, and it has started to mean everything and nothing. Strip away the buzzword and you find three practical changes: how work is funded, how customers take part, and how fast things ship. Each lands on the project manager’s desk.

Three real shifts

First, funding. Many companies now want to fund ongoing capability around a product or service instead of approving a one-time project with a fixed scope. That changes what “done” means. A website relaunch ends on a date. A digital channel for customers never ends, and it needs people who stay with it.