I do not believe that being a skilled project manager in one industry would make you equally successful in another. This is because each industry will have different regulations that they must follow which will act as a form of technical knowledge that a project manager. In terms of managerial skills being a previously successful project manager does mean that the person most likely has good interpersonal skills and managerial skills. Because of this , I believe that initially an individual placed into a new industry will have some technical knowledge they will need to learn, such as regulations for that industry and how the new company runs, but eventually they will be able to perform well due to their pre-existing skillset.
Of course, all of this is only relevant if the individual is capable or willing enough to learn material for a new job and can effectively lead their new team.
In some ways I would say that the skills required for project management are transferable. Overseeing other roles, organizing such, communicating, and just generally ensuring that the project proceeds are transferable.
That being said, an understanding of the industry is essential for a project manager, especially since many parts of the project that they may oversee are specific to the industry. I.e knowing FDA guidelines when overseeing a medical project, or knowing building safety when overseeing a construction project. These are not general or transferable, in fact a detailed knowledge of the field is really required to make sure that the project is completed safely or even at all. I think that someone who has done project management of some type may be able to eventually transfer into a different project management position in a different industry, but it would require them to develop a background specific to the requirements of the industry.
I think there are definitely skills that a project manager may possess that are transferable and equally important in any project you are assigned regardless of the field. Skills like organization, good communication, adaptability and a host of other interpersonal skills are crucial to the success of a project and can be applied to a variety of fields. However, I don't think that if you were to be successful as a project manager in the medical device industry, you may not be as well suited if you were to oversee a project in a field like software engineering or construction. I've been in a medical device project before, although in an academic setting not an industry setting, and I had to learn the FDA guidelines and regulations that you need to know get a device to market. I then had to be part of a project that was in the pharmaceutical industry, and, while the medical device industry and the pharmaceutical industry may not be as vastly different as medical device and construction, I found that there were still a few guidelines that I had to learn because they differed from the medical device industry. This is not saying that you can't find success in project management if you decided to switch fields. Adaptability is an important skill in project management and a good project manager could definitely learn the regulations of a new field to become successful.
In general, project manager skills are not change from field to another, but these skills need to be directed to right way such as in medical device projects require having manager with good knowledge of FDA roles on another hand the construction project has its codes to be aware of them. Therefore, I agree that the project manager can lead other field projects with some effort on the regulations knowledge.
Two of the major factors that determine the success of a project manager are if they have good organizational and interpersonal skills. If a project manager can organize, communicate, and interact with their team well, they will be successful as a project manager. Between industries, I believe these skills are transferable since regardless of the industry, these skills are vital for the success of a project. However, there will be a learning curve, or some uncertainty if a project manager were to suddenly change industries. Like others have stated, another major aspect of project management is technical skill. If a project manager is moved to a new industry, they may not have the technical skills required to function confidently. Despite this, another skill a project manager should have is adaptability. Project managers should be able to acquire new knowledge and learn enough to be proficient in any tasks that they may need to complete. Although this may be difficult, I know this is possible. During my undergraduate degree, I had a concentration within biomechanics. Then, when I had to complete my capstone project, I was placed in a software-based role in which I did not know anything about what I needed to do. I put in the work to learn about software development and was able to complete my portion of the capstone project. Similarly, in industry, it would be expected for project managers to be able to learn and apply what they learned to their current role. More than this, other than technical skill, different industries most likely have slightly different processes within project management. It would be the responsibility of a project manager to understand how exactly the project must be moved forward. All in all, I believe that a skilled project manager could potentially change industries and still be successful, if they are willing to put in the hard work to be successful.
In my opinion how Project Management differs in different industries are the which steps need to be completed and the order in which they are done. This is because for each industry the technology is different and the goals (customer needs and government regulation) are different.
To give an example, a construction project would have a need for ensuring the stability of the building by validating the initial blueprint, using the right materials, and making sure work is done properly. These would be done to meet the safety requirements that the government specifies. However, if you were building a medical device, you would have to conduct clinical trials as well to prove the safety and efficacy of your product. This is because the physics of a building are much better understood and invariant than how the human body would react to a medical device.
If I was a skillful Project Manger for medical devices, I think that it would take a long time for me to transition to a different industry because I would have to learn a process that is vastly different from the one I know.
Project Management will definitely differ from job to job. I don't think you can take a great project manager from medical device development and throw them into a construction site or a software building company. This is because these different jobs require, not only different skill sets, but different areas of knowledge. I believe a person can only be a great project manager when they have an extensive knowledge of their respective field. On the other hand, a good skill of a project manager is the ability to adapt to whats being thrown at them. While I don't think they will be perfect project managers in fields other than their own, I do believe they would be able to adapt at some point and be a passable project manager.
This question reminds me of the principle by Daniel Goleman that success is based on 70% interpersonal skills and 30% technical knowledge. While I agree with many prior posts that skills such as interpersonal skills and knowledge of the PDCA cycle are important, I believe technical skills and experience in the industry at hand are crucial for successful project management. As for differences, each industry would have its own regulations and procedures to obtain project approvals. Despite this, I believe that there are some industries that may have some overlap, which may not hinder a project manager’s ability to successfully manage a project to a large extent. Overall, I believe for a project manager to effectively provide meaningful input would require basic technical knowledge on the different departments or aspects of the project. As a result, I believe biomedical engineers would make for successful project managers of medical device projects because of the diverse curriculum we are taught in schools.
