How do you become a technical management specialist?

1 What does a technical management specialist do?

As a technical management specialist, it is your responsibility to ensure that IT projects and services are delivered on time, within budget, and according to the specifications and expectations of the clients and stakeholders. You must also manage the technical teams assigned to these projects and services by assigning tasks, providing guidance, resolving issues, and evaluating performance. Depending on the domain, a technical management specialist may be involved in software development, network administration, cybersecurity, data analysis, cloud computing, or digital transformation. Your duties include communicating with clients and stakeholders to understand their needs and expectations, as well as providing updates on the project status. Additionally, you are responsible for developing project plans, schedules, budgets, and scope statements that are followed and updated throughout the project lifecycle. You must coordinate with other managers, specialists, vendors, and contractors while supervising the technical teams and making sure they have the necessary skills and resources to complete their tasks. It is also important to monitor the quality of risk management aspects of project delivery while troubleshooting technical issues or problems that may arise during delivery. Lastly, you must evaluate the outcomes of the project or service delivery while providing reports and recommendations for improvement.

2 What skills and qualifications do you need?

To become a technical management specialist, you need to have a combination of technical skills, management skills, and soft skills. Generally, you should have a strong understanding of IT project management principles and practices, such as agile, scrum, or waterfall methodologies; the tools and software used for IT project management; the technologies and systems used for IT service delivery; and the standards and frameworks used for IT service management. As for management skills, you should possess planning and organizing capabilities, leadership and communication proficiency, problem-solving and decision-making aptitude, negotiation and conflict resolution expertise, and financial and resource management talents. Additionally, you need to have adaptability and flexibility, creativity and innovation, critical thinking and analytical capabilities, teamwork and collaboration abilities, as well as customer service and interpersonal skills. To become a technical management specialist, qualifications such as a bachelor's degree in computer science or related field are typically required. Moreover, certifications such as PMP or CAPM from the Project Management Institute (PMI), ITIL Foundation or ITIL Expert from AXELOS Global Best Practice, CSM or CSP from the Scrum Alliance, CISSP or CISM from ISC2 or ISACA, AWS Certified Solutions Architect or Azure Solutions Architect Expert from AWS or Microsoft Azure may be necessary.

3 How do you advance your career?

To advance your career as a technical management specialist, you need to keep your skills and knowledge up to date with the latest trends and developments in the IT industry. You can do this by taking courses, attending workshops, reading books and articles, joining professional associations, and participating in online forums and communities. You can also pursue further certifications or degrees that can enhance your credentials and credibility. Moreover, you need to seek feedback and mentorship from your peers, managers, clients, and stakeholders, and use it to improve your performance and skills. You can also showcase your achievements and portfolio by creating a personal website, blog, or social media profile, and by networking with other professionals in your field. Furthermore, you can look for opportunities to take on more challenging and complex projects or services, or to assume more leadership and responsibility roles, such as a senior technical management specialist, a technical management consultant, a technical management director, or a chief technology officer (CTO). By doing these things, you can increase your visibility, reputation, and value as a technical management specialist, and advance your career to the next level.

4 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?