From Commanding to Coaching: The Evolution of the Project Manager Role (Scaled Agile)
Ryan Johnson
Senior Engineering Manager (Fullstack) | Cloud & Data Architect | Leader in Digital Innovation & Analytics
The PM Role, Redefined (From Traditional to Modern Delivery Frameworks)
Summary: This article explores the evolving role of the Project Manager (PM) as organizations transition from traditional project management methodologies, such as Waterfall, to frameworks like SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework). The traditional PM, often seen as a central authority responsible for planning, resource allocation, and controlling project timelines, operates in a top-down structure with a focus on managing outputs. In contrast, the PM in a SAFe environment takes on the role of a facilitator and coach, focusing on empowering teams, fostering cross-team collaboration, and enabling iterative value delivery.
The Article in 30 Seconds
Audience: IT professionals and business leaders
The traditional PM, often seen as a central authority responsible for planning, resource allocation, and controlling project timelines, operates in a top-down structure with a focus on managing outputs. In contrast, the PM in a SAFe environment takes on the role of a facilitator and coach, focusing on empowering teams, fostering cross-team collaboration, and enabling iterative value delivery. The article draws on real-world examples to contrast these two approaches, illustrating how the traditional PM owns the project timeline and scope, while the SAFe PM supports teams working within an Agile Release Train (ART) and facilitates Program Increment (PI) Planning. Key differences such as control vs. facilitation, predictive vs. adaptive planning, and outputs vs. outcomes are discussed, highlighting the shift in responsibilities for PMs as they adapt to more agile frameworks. The article concludes by offering insight into what this shift means for PMs, emphasizing that, while the approach differs, the core objective remains the same: ensuring teams deliver successful results. In a SAFe environment, the PM’s role centers around empowering teams, fostering communication, and removing roadblocks, all while staying flexible and adapting to change.
The Traditional PM Role: Planner, Coordinator, Enforcer
In a traditional project management environment, the PM is typically the central authority. You’re tasked with creating detailed project plans, setting timelines, managing resources, and ensuring everything runs like clockwork. Your toolkit likely includes Gantt charts and tools like Microsoft Project, and you oversee everything from timelines to stakeholder communication.
"The project management field is changing with the adoption of agile practices by many product development organizations. In recent years, project manager-led projects have shifted to team-focused leadership, empowering the knowledge workers responsible for creating products or services in lean and agile transformed organizations." (Source: https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/pm-role-lean-agile-world-9350 )
Example: Imagine managing a year-long IT infrastructure upgrade. As the traditional PM, you’d spend hours working with department heads, adjusting timelines in response to delays, and making sure everything stays on track. If a vendor issue arises, you're the one reworking the project plan to accommodate the disruption. In this role, you own the project and take full responsibility for delivering on time and within budget.
The key responsibilities include:
This role works well in environments where stability and predictability are the norm. But when projects need to adapt quickly to change, traditional methods can be limiting. That’s where SAFe comes in. (Source: Scaled Agile on Agile Release Trains and Program Increment planning: https://www.scaledagileframework.com/agile-release-train/ ).
The PM in SAFe: Facilitator, Coach, Empowerer
"In agile frameworks and methods, the PM does not have a defined role. The Scrum practice prescribes distributing the PM role among the Scrum team members. The Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) practice lists the PM as a potential for the Release Train Engineer (RTE), responsible as the uber-ScrumMaster. Other agile practitioners describe the PM as a coach and facilitator." (Source: https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/pm-role-lean-agile-world-9350 )
In a SAFe environment, the PM’s role shifts significantly. You no longer "own" the project in the traditional sense—the team does. Your responsibility becomes that of a facilitator and coach, ensuring teams have the resources and support they need to iteratively deliver value.
According to scaledagile.com , "SAFe is a series of connected work items, some represented in Kanban, and others represented simply as backlogs. The Team backlogs are a combination of work being pulled from the Program Backlog with work from the local context. With that content, authority comes great responsibility to the product or solution, as well as the enterprise."
Therefore, instead of driving a single project, you’re part of a larger Agile Release Train (ART), coordinating multiple teams working together in Program Increments (PIs), usually over 8-12 weeks. Rather than dictating timelines, your focus is on facilitating PI Planning, helping teams collaborate, and ensuring impediments are removed.
Anecdote: Consider a large-scale migration to the cloud. As the PM, you're involved in facilitating communication between teams working on different aspects of the project, from infrastructure to application development. Rather than setting a top-down timeline, you help teams align on objectives during PI Planning, making sure dependencies between teams are addressed. Your job is less about enforcing timelines and more about empowering teams to take ownership of their deliverables.
Key responsibilities include:
"The PM will undergo a paradigm shift from leading projects to embracing the role of a servant leader. The servant leader focuses on serving team members to remove impediments that block the successful product release to market. The agile PM role can be introduced to the organization through formal leadership organization change management (OCM), grassroots methods, or a hybrid model." (Source: Project Management Institute)
As Scaled Agile explains, "The focus of the PM in SAFe is to facilitate collaboration across teams, ensuring that dependencies are addressed and resolved" (Source: Wrike on traditional project management and Waterfall methodologies: https://www.wrike.com/blog/waterfall-methodology-complete-guide/ ).
Key Differences Between Traditional and SAFe PM Roles
1. Control vs. Facilitation
In a traditional setup, the PM controls the project from start to finish. In SAFe, control is distributed—teams are empowered to make decisions, and the PM facilitates the process, ensuring that teams stay aligned and focused on delivering value.
As Atlassian states, "In traditional project management, the PM is at the center of the project and manages the workflow from start to finish. In Agile, the PM becomes more of a facilitator, supporting the team in achieving their goals in a more flexible, iterative manner" ?(Source: Atlassian on the differences between traditional project management and Agile project management: https://www.atlassian.com/agile/project-management ).
2. Predictive vs. Adaptive Planning
Traditional PMs rely on predictive planning, with schedules and milestones laid out upfront. In contrast, SAFe operates on adaptive planning, where teams plan in short cycles (PIs) and adjust based on continuous feedback and evolving priorities.
Example: In a traditional product launch, you might set a firm release date and work backward. In SAFe, you’d break the launch into smaller increments, releasing features iteratively based on customer feedback.
3. Hierarchical vs. Cross-Team Collaboration
Traditional PMs often serve as the central point of communication. In SAFe, communication is distributed across teams, with product owners, developers, and stakeholders directly collaborating.
4. Focus on Outputs vs. Outcomes
Traditional PMs focus on delivering projects on time and within budget—outputs. In SAFe, the focus shifts to outcomes, ensuring that what’s delivered truly meets customer needs through continuous iteration and feedback loops.
What This Means for PMs Transitioning to SAFe
Moving from a traditional PM role to a SAFe environment can be challenging. You’ll no longer be the sole decision-maker, and the detailed project plans you’re used to might be adjusted every few weeks. But this shift allows you to focus on what really matters: delivering value, fostering collaboration, and driving continuous improvement.
It’s like going from directing a scripted play to facilitating a collaborative workshop. Rather than controlling every action, you help teams succeed by providing the structure and support they need.
PM vs PO: Shared Responsibilities but Separate Roles
"POs and PMs are essential to the success of SAFe. While they share areas of concern, both have their own focus. They both care about the Continuous Delivery Pipeline, they both iterate, and they both have content authority around their backlogs. They’re both responsible for continuous improvement, ensuring capacity for the architectural runway, communicating and collaborating on the vision and roadmaps, and much more. And, they both focus on execution. The PM leverages Customer Centricity and Design Thinking to reason about product enhancements, new product ideas, as well as innovation. The PO focuses on flow for development, release execution, and incremental delivery. And, they both embrace the Continuous Delivery Pipeline and the DevOps mindset." (Source: https://scaledagile.com/blog/why-the-most-successful-pms-and-pos-share-a-brain/ )
The Future of the PM Role
As we look ahead to the evolving landscape of project management, two paths seem likely: either the project manager role will persist but with a transformed scope, or it will gradually give way to emerging positions like product manager, product owner, or scrum master. In the first scenario, project managers may need to pivot toward more specialized, agile-focused roles, becoming facilitators of new methodologies. In the second, the shift might mean a sunset for the traditional PM role, with new titles and responsibilities emerging in its place. Regardless of which path unfolds, it’s essential to recognize that these changes are part of a broader industry evolution. This isn’t about individual success or failure—it’s about adapting to a dynamic professional environment that will continue to change. The key is to embrace the new, be flexible, and evolve with the trends shaping our future. (see here for more on this topic: https://projectworx.eu/the-role-of-the-project-manager-in-scaled-agile/ )
Concluding Thoughts
The role of the Project Manager has undergone a profound transformation, evolving from a taskmaster focused on timelines and control into a facilitator who fosters collaboration, adaptability, and continuous improvement. In frameworks like SAFe, the PM is no longer the sole owner of the project but a key player in enabling teams to navigate complexity and respond to change with agility. This shift redefines success—not by meeting rigid deadlines but by driving innovation, fostering team autonomy, and delivering sustained value. As the demands of modern business continue to evolve, PMs who embrace this new, dynamic approach will be instrumental in creating high-performing teams that thrive in uncertainty and are equipped to deliver impactful outcomes, not just on time but with real, lasting impact.
In the evolving landscape of project management, the focus is steadily shifting from short-term project execution to a long-term product-centric mindset. Instead of funding initiatives with a clear endpoint, organizations will need to invest in product teams for the entire lifespan of a product, ensuring continuous support and development. Traditionally, once a project was delivered, resources would dissipate. However, in this new approach, teams remain intact, adapting and improving the product until it's no longer viable. This requires not just a change in funding strategies but a transformation in how organizations view work continuity and value delivery.
Embracing this shift also means welcoming change as an integral part of product evolution. Gone are the days when changes were seen as disruptions to a carefully laid-out project plan. In a product-driven model, flexibility is essential, allowing teams to iterate, innovate, and respond to real-time user feedback. This adaptability will lead to better alignment with user needs and a more resilient, forward-thinking approach to delivering value. For further reading, see: https://projectworx.eu/the-role-of-the-project-manager-in-scaled-agile/ )
In the end, whether you're in a traditional role or a SAFe environment, project management remains about ensuring teams deliver results. The difference lies in how you enable that delivery—and in SAFe, it’s about empowerment, communication, and continuous value.
About the Author
As someone focused on enterprise technology solutions, cloud computing, and modern analytics, my usual topics tend to center around digital transformation and data-driven strategies. However, today I’m taking a step into another critical area that underpins the success of technology initiatives: project management. As a SAFe practitioner, clients are constantly asking how legacy roles differ in traditional environments compared to the SAFe (Scaled Agile) Framework. Today, I'd like to assess the progression of the the role of the traditional Project Manager (PM) to its modern counterpart. To avoid TLDRs; for my audience, I try my best to keep the discussion informal and concise. Let's attempt to break down the key differences between the legacy vs modern PM role using real-world examples to demonstrate the fundamental shift. While project management may not seem as technical as cloud architecture, the methods we use to manage technology projects, particularly in Agile environments, play a huge role in delivering successful outcomes. As a technologist, I have helped facilitate numerous technology programs & projects utilizing some form of Scaled Agile--thus, this discussion is rooted in my experience as a Senior IT Leader and Technical Manager with over 25 years of experience in delivering enterprise technology solutions and the 50+ IT projects (deliverables exceeding $29 million for 13 of the Fortune 500). Having spent years balancing digital innovation and business impact, I’ve seen firsthand how effective project management transforms complex initiatives into impactful results.
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Client Success Lead | "I Partner with Clients to streamline operations and enhance profitability by implementing strategic technological solutions and automation"
1 个月What a transformative perspective! It truly reflects the agile philosophy, prioritizing collaboration over control.
IT Manager | Dedicated to Bringing People Together | Building Lasting Relationships with Clients and Candidates
1 个月Ryan Johnson, this new approach to project management is truly inspiring! ??
Senior Engineering Manager (Fullstack) | Cloud & Data Architect | Leader in Digital Innovation & Analytics
1 个月Thank you for taking the time to read this. While the effort varies by topic, publishing content like this can take upwards of 8 hours—a labor of love, but still a labor. With that in mind, I’d rather invest my time in crafting content that resonates with you and covers what’s top of mind. I welcome any suggestions for future topics. Currently, I’m working on a series exploring application monitoring and telemetry frameworks like OTel, Prometheus, and Grafana, and I’d love to hear your thoughts!