The world of generalist project managers is long gone. The focus is now on PMs specialized in specific disciplines as they bring to companies highly valuable knowledge of the market and customers. The responsibilities of specialized PMs remain pretty much the same, and include…
a) Managing budgets.
b) Organizing deadlines.
c) Preparing reports.
d) Powering cooperation across teams.
e) Formulating specific objectives to be achieved.
f) Reviewing the quality of the product.
g) Coordinating responsibilities and working with relevant peers (e.g. Product Owner and Scrum Master).
The difference is then in the knowledge and expertise brought. For teams building desktop software, a software project manager is a person who can deliver the best results based on what they already experienced in their previous work.
But how to actually find the perfect software project manager and what to consider when hiring one? With our 10-rule guide, you’ll learn all you need in less than 10 minutes.
1. Assess the software project manager resume
The first time you approach your candidates, you should start by assessing their previous work experience. Whether you review their software project manager resume, portfolio, LinkedIn profile, or Product Hunt profile — you should always look for PMs strictly experienced in software. You don’t want general project managers, and you also don’t really want PMs focused on tech but not on classic desktop software projects. Meaning, you should skip web project managers, mobile project managers, and all the similar.
To get the best results and get them fast, you need a PM fully focused on and experienced with software teams
2. Think agile
According to a Stack Overflow's survey of over 100,000 developers, more than 85% of developers work in environments implementing the agile methodology. Additionally, around 63% of devs work also with Scrum and approximately 35% with Kanban.
It’s crucial then, for your new software project manager to be familiar with these project management methodologies as well. And it’s not only important for their work with developers, but also with other members of a Scrum team, Product Owner and Scrum Master. As the responsibilities of these two often include some tasks that in non-Scrum teams are being taken care of by a software project manager, it’s important to clearly divide these tasks prior to starting product development.
3. Review your software project’s managers tech knowledge
There are some software project managers who previously worked as developers, but your candidate doesn’t have to know all the ins and out of programming. In the end, they won’t code but oversee the coding done by others. However, to do it effectively, some technical knowledge is a must-have for a software project manager. We would recommend especially checking the following:
a) Understanding of the basic concepts of the programming languages and frameworks used in the project — and why they are used instead of the other available.
b) Knowledge of typical costs related to development with the chosen technologies.
c) Familiarity with technical jargon for the most efficient communication with developers.
d) Experience with Git.
e) At least a basic understanding of system administration.
4. Assess their experience with project management software
According to a PWC study, the use of project management has a positive impact on a project's performance. In fact, 87% of the highest-performing projects make use of such software. The list of most popular project management software includes tools from top brands, such as Microsoft Project, as well as more niche tools, like Clarity or Artemis. Additionally, many PMs make use of quite common web-based solutions, such as Trello, Asana, and ClickUp. We shouldn’t also forget about Jira, commonly used in agile dev teams around the world.
For the most efficient work, a software project manager must be experienced with major tools like the above and be able to provide their own recommendations on what additional PM software your company should implement.
5. Consider data analytics
Developers are not the only technical experts in the project that a PM has to work closely with. There are also various types of data scientists, providing and analyzing valuable data. A software project manager should not only be able to clearly present to them what data is needed to assess the market requirements for the product but also later analyze this data by themselves. A PM by no means has to build their own data pipelines, but being an Excel master is a must.
6. Don’t forget about soft skills
Effective communication with other people involved in the project is crucial to delivering great results. What are the must-have soft skills that every software project manager should have?
a) Expert time management and self-organization
b) Empathy
c) Approachability
d) Conflict resolution skills
e) Proactiveness
7. Review certificates
Obtaining a popular certification is often a cherry on the top, proving the qualifications of a candidate. When planning to hire a software project manager, you should look especially for those with agile-focused certificates. One of the popular ones is the PMI Agile Certified Practitioner. You can also look for candidates holding a Scrum Master or Agile Coach certificates, such as ICP-ACC, Professional Scrum Master, or Certified ScrumMaster®.
More generally, probably the most popular certificate for project managers is Project Management Professional.
8. Think of the industry fit
Finding a software-focused project manager is a way to establish a product fit between you and your candidate. But how about going even deeper and looking for the perfect industry fit?
PM with previous experience in a company from your market might bring a great dose of knowledge about your customer group and the solutions that already proved to be successful. It will also make the software project manager’s transition to your company smoother and more effective in the first few months of your cooperation.
9. Look for the company culture fit
Even better results can be achieved if you find a candidate that matches your company culture. This area can cover anything from your approach to diverse and inclusive environments to the management style at your company and the way team members can share feedback on each other. Consider the values you consider the most important for your business and look for software project managers who also share them.
10. Ask good questions during the software project manager job interview
Running a job interview is the final step for assessing whether your software project manager candidate fits the role and your company. What questions should you ask to get the answers you need?
a) How do you approach people who are unproductive?
b) How do you motivate others? How do you coach them to strive for more?
c) How do you divide your responsibilities from the responsibilities of Product Owners and Scrum Masters?
d) What software project management tools would you consider a must-have at our company and why?
e)How do you define a successful project?
f) What is your process of deciding what tasks you can keep for yourself and which ones should be delegated to other people working on the project?
g) What makes you the most stressed in the work of a software project manager? How do you manage stress?
Building the perfect team around a software project manager
If we compare a software project manager to a movie director, it’s easy to come up with a conclusion that there are still actors and other staff needed for the movie to be done. In the software project development process, the list of people you need to deliver a great product includes Product Owners, Scrum Masters, designers, and — of course — developers.
With Ideamotive, you can have all these roles filled fast. We run an industry-leading network of top IT talents looking for new job opportunities. Whatever kind of IT expert you are looking for, we can connect you with the right candidates, matched according to your company profile, product specification, and any other requirement you might want us to take into consideration.
Contact us today and let’s build you a future award-winning team.
