How much of being a project manager is common sense / street smarts / EQ and how much is tech savvy?
Asked by SmartAleck
Not just IT projects, but all kinds. Is years of experience a prerequisite? Or can you get by if you know the subject backwards? Or do you need sound managerial skills? Why would a person with these skills / abilities go for the uncertainty and heartburn of project execution, instead of holding down a line manager's job? In short, what does it take, and what makes 'em tick?

Best Answer:
You need sound managerial skills, the ability to come up with a project plan and the ability to line up resources and remove obstacles that would delay the project. Being technically savvy helps, but it isn't a large part of it, probably 20-25% tops. Project managers do not make good programmers any more than programmers make good project managers. And since I program I don't have any ax to grind there. I would be horrible at project management, don't have the temperament for it. The worst project I ever worked on was one run by a programmer. It failed. You do need to understand the business the project is for, or have a good functional design analyst working for you that does. Project management is pretty lucrative, you are usually talking director level $100K or better jobs. You are right though, there is more risk involved than being a line manager. On the other hand, you are actually creating something, which is kind of a rush in itself, and you are constantly doing new things. -Dio

Fifty Fifty.
Answered by prerana