Technical program manager positions range from mid- to senior-level and help firms achieve their product goals.
They frequently collaborate across enterprises with leadership and their teams to oversee product development and release.
Learning more about this profession might help you decide if it is a career path you wish to take.
This article defines a Technical Project Manager, explains what they perform, and shares the skills, education, and income that individuals in these roles typically have.
What is a Technical Program Manager?
TPMs (Technical Program Managers) are business experts in charge of one or more projects for a corporation.
They are in charge of overseeing all parts of a project, from creating its criteria to reviewing the final output.
Because organizations across industries require technology to accomplish their jobs and evolve, many corporations may engage technical project managers.
TPMs frequently collaborate with engineers to create a company’s technology and product architecture.
What are a technical program manager’s responsibilities?
Technical program managers are in charge of managing all aspects of one too many technical projects for their organization.
TPMs frequently work through the full lifecycle of projects, from idea generation to deployment, and optimize the full release value stream.
TPMs are responsible for initiating programs, driving delivery to completion, and providing support in the event of issues.
TPMs will frequently negotiate scope and timelines with technical dependencies that must change.
TPMs can assist in the establishment of technologies, tools, and procedures that can lead an organization to Continuous Integration and Deployment and a DevOps operating model.
Non-functional aspects of software delivery, such as application telemetry, performance, reliability, resilience, security, and compliance, are frequently handled by TPMs.
Skills for a Technical Program Manager
To become a technical project manager, you may need the following skills:
1. Communication abilities
As a technical project manager, you frequently interact with members of several teams. Product strategists, developers, managers, and suppliers are examples of these professionals.
You may need to explain difficult technical issues like code to business users at times, which necessitates the ability to provide critical information that can affect product design or delivery.
2. Technical abilities
Technical project managers might use their technical talents and experience to oversee a company’s product development.
This may require in-depth knowledge of an organization’s IT capabilities as well as technical specifics such as code.
Though your firm may not require you to code directly, this knowledge can help you support your teams and effectively prepare for new programs.
3. Project administration
Though program management frequently includes several smaller projects, many of the same abilities can be used in a TPM function.
You may utilize project management frameworks such as agile project management, or the technique of delivering features in shorter iterations, to react to business needs or changes, depending on the organization.
Project managers frequently employ a subset of other talents, such as time management, communication, problem-solving, and strategic thinking.
3. Risk management
While overseeing their projects, program managers frequently prepare for and respond to potential hazards.
This may entail determining if a particular risk is worth accepting to move on with product development.
For technical programs, this can include the possibility that a product problem or feature would have an impact on sales or that expanding resources to work on a program would result in a budget overrun.
4. Leadership
As program managers oversee the requirements design, development, and deployment of new technology, they frequently serve as team leads.
Strong leadership abilities include the capacity to motivate others and conceive of creative solutions to difficulties.
You could construct program road maps that specify activities and milestones for people to fulfill while producing a product, which can help to ensure that everyone understands their job and the goals and that everyone is motivated to see the product succeed.
5. Business expertise
TPMs apply basic business skills in their roles, despite having a highly technical position.
Understanding how firms structure their business and technology departments, as well as basic financial principles such as budgeting and profit, is required.
TMPs can collaborate with leadership to identify product strategies and timetables that will help the firm grow by learning about these diverse sectors of business.
Technical Project Manager Qualification
Technical project managers may hold a variety of degrees. A bachelor’s degree in business administration, business management, or computer science is required for many positions.
Although master’s degrees are not always required, some employers may prefer to recruit people with them.
Certain certificates, such as certified project management certification, may be required by some employers.
Technical Program Manager’s Salary
According to Indeed, the average annual income for a technical program manager is $115,403. However, your income may differ depending on your company, region, education, and experience.
A well-established technological corporation, for example, may spend more than a startup trying to develop new goods.
FAQS
What distinguishes technical program managers from product managers?
Technical program managers and product managers frequently collaborate to finish projects, but their roles and responsibilities are distinct.
A product manager defines the product’s vision, whereas the technical program manager is responsible for putting the product manager’s needs into action.
What are the prospects for technical program managers?
Although the Bureau of Labor Statistics does not keep data on technical program managers, computer and information systems managers have similar technical objectives and management responsibilities.
Between 2018 and 2028, employment for this position is predicted to expand by 11%, which is greater than the average growth rate for all occupations.
What opportunities exist for technical program managers to advance in their careers?
As a technical program manager, you can advance to higher-level positions such as senior technical program manager or director of technical program management.
Professionals with sufficient experience can potentially advance to the post of general manager. If you want to move to one of these positions, you should consider becoming certified.
Conclusion
In the tech industry, technical program managers go unnoticed but are essential to the success of projects and products.
What distinguishes them is their capacity to manage the intricacies of technical initiatives while maintaining a broad perspective.
The importance of TPMs to an organization’s performance will only increase as technology develops.