Project Manager Development Paths

This study has investigated the professional development of project managers through interviews, surveys, and personality inventories from a sample of practitioners.

Results from the research reveal how learning experiences as well as personal characteristics comport with professional development.
Analysis of the results shows that the experiences of respondents had several patterns in common, including:

• Positive and negative aspects of being a project manager

• How they get involved in the job

• Experiences that have a significant influence on the way they practice their job

• Lessons derived from those experiences

• Types of learning and the individuals who influenced their learning

• The influence of personality on what project managers learn from their experiences

The implications of such research can affect a focused and more rapid professional development path for practitioners and the resource managers who support them. In practice, clear project management development policies serve as a sign post that project managers have arrived.