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My Goals for Switching to Project Manager
Making a career shift can be both exciting and terrifying, especially when you’re transitioning into a role that feels like it’s the next step, but also entirely new territory. That’s exactly how I felt when I made the transition from being a software developer to a project manager (PM). At 24 years old, I’d only been working as a developer for a few years, and while I knew I was ready for a change - I wasn’t even sure what I wanted to do exactly.
When I first thought about making the leap into project management, my goals weren’t entirely clear. It wasn’t so much about moving away from development (I still love writing code and solving problems), but more about shifting the kind of impact I wanted to have. As a developer, I’ve always been good at identifying problems and working with different people and frameworks. But after some time, I found myself less excited about the latest Python update or the newest JavaScript framework. I began gravitating towards bigger-picture thinking.
I realized that I was often focused on the larger picture of the project - how the work would unfold, how to organize tasks efficiently, and how to choose good pair partner pairings. For instance, I started to think about which team members would work best on which tasks, or how to organize work in such a way that would maximize both progress and professional development. At that point, I started noticing that I was speaking up more about these high-level concerns rather than focusing on the details of a specific implementation. I expressed these things in my self-reflection during my most recent prosperity session, which is Menlo’s unique process of giving formalized feedback and assessing a team member’s level and pay rate. This is when I was approached with the opportunity to experiment with the PM role.
Understanding the New Role: How Do I Know I’m Successful?
Switching roles means learning a whole new set of skills, and that can be tough when you don’t even know where to start. One of my first challenges was figuring out how I would know if I was doing a good job as a project manager. As a developer, success is often measurable in terms of tasks completed, bugs fixed, or features deployed. But as a PM, the measures of success aren’t always so clear-cut.
One of the biggest changes I had to make was un-learning some of my developer tendencies. For example, I used to feel compelled to jump in and speak up about technical aspects during meetings, but as a PM, it’s important to let the project teams lead when it comes to technical decisions. It’s important that the developers and clients both know that my job is to support them, not overshadow their expertise.
I also realized I needed to let go of my own estimates, and instead provide insights and coaching to the developer team so that they can make their own estimates. As a developer, it’s second nature to estimate how long something might take to build, but as a PM, I have to trust my team’s estimates and adjust my expectations accordingly. This was a big shift in mindset, but it was essential for helping me manage client expectations effectively.
The Timeline of My Transition
I didn’t have any formal project management experience when I started, and honestly, I wouldn’t have even claimed to be an organized person. As someone with ADHD, I’ve learned that ADHD is something you can “leverage” as a developer, but tends to be a hindrance when it comes to executive functioning and organizing many tasks. The transition started slowly, with plenty of learning along the way.
Mentorship: Paired programming is a tool that Menlo utilizes for many reasons - higher quality of work, team-wide context sharing, and high level collaboration, just to name a few. For many of those reasons, pairing was crucial in the first part in my journey of learning the skills of Project Management. For the first couple of weeks, I paired with Lisa, a Principal Project Manager here at Menlo. I began helping with scheduling, status updates, and learning the logistics of managing a project. This gave me a good foundation and helped me build confidence. When I had a question or was not clear on what task I should be working on, Lisa was there with guidance.
Being a “Petty” PM: But not in the trivial sense. “Petty” is an internal project at Menlo - an application to visualize financial data. It also serves as a project where developers can learn development and consulting skills without facing client expectations. Here, I could also test out the skills I’d learned in a less client-facing environment. This helped me refine my approach to managing projects without the pressure of client expectations. This was especially helpful, as there were moments of failure that I might not have handled as well if they had business implications.
Smaller Client Projects: After that, I started helping out with the logistics of smaller client projects. Since these were smaller projects, they gave me the opportunity to keep practicing the new skills I’ve been learning, but in new settings. It was a great way to get hands-on experience and start developing relationships with these clients wearing my new project manager hat.
Key Skills for a Project Manager (and How Developer Skills Help)
Through this transition, I’ve learned a ton of new skills, but I’ve also realized that many of the skills I developed as a developer have been incredibly helpful. Here are some of the key skills I rely on as a PM:
Action-Oriented: As a developer, I’m used to being action-oriented and solving problems quickly. In project management, this mindset is just as important. When I have the time, I focus on doing something important right away instead of putting it off for later. Procrastinating on critical tasks can have a ripple effect on other people’s work!
Prioritization and Organization: As a PM, keeping track of everything in a project can get overwhelming. Having a clear system to visualize tasks (like a board or a list) is essential for prioritizing what needs to get done. And just like in development, pushing something off in project management can have an impact on others, so staying organized is key.
Understanding and Communicating Risk: This is something that’s critical in both development and project management. As a PM, I need to constantly assess risks—whether they’re related to timelines, resources, or scope—and communicate them to both the client and the team.
What Did I Gain from This Transition?
Switching roles has been rewarding in so many ways. I’ve learned so much about Menlo’s business - accounting, management, tracking, bills, etc… There’s a lot that goes into running a small business! On a personal level, it’s been an opportunity to improve my organizational skills. I’m someone who could make plans on Monday for Wednesday, and then completely forget about everything come Wednesday if I didn’t set a reminder for myself - and it’s a coin flip on whether or not I would remember to set the reminder in the first place. What I’ve learned so far as a PM is that it’s not the remembering that makes the biggest difference, it’s setting the reminder!
What Did Menlo Gain from This Transition?
From a business perspective, Menlo has definitely seen some benefits too. Being a project manager who understands the technical side of things means I can jump into conversations and help solve problems on the spot, without always needing to bring in the developer team. Plus, it’s given Menlo a bit more scheduling flexibility, since I can easily be rotated back into development work when needed. For example in the week that I wrote this blog post, I was scheduled as a developer 2 days of the week. This way, we were able to keep our existing projects moving forward while still being able to set aside time to meet with new, prospective clients.
Overall, I’ve increased the breadth of the value that I add to the business. As I’ve grown into this role, I’ve also been able to take on more tasks related to growing the business, which has freed up the leadership team to focus on other important work. With Menlo having a goal to grow in both revenue and team size, it's been really rewarding to see how this shift has helped the team and the business keep moving forward.
Final Thoughts
As a developer, I strongly believe and have witnessed first-hand the impact that paired programming and general co-location can have on building team capacity quickly. After my experience pairing with other project managers, I have only further validated this belief. From learning to track budgets and hours to managing a client project within just a few weeks, I owe it all to the Menlo process - and the incredible teammates and mentors who supported me and encouraged my growth every step of the way. If you’re considering a switch in roles or careers yourself, my advice is to trust the process, learn as much as you can, and surround yourself with people that believe in your growth. You’ve got this!