The difference between a Project Manager and a Senior Project Manager usually relates to the complexity of project they manage.
More complex projects carry higher levels of risk, are intended to have greater business impact and will usually involve multiple stakeholders. They are too complex to be managed as a whole, and will usually be broken down into sub projects and stages, each with its own manager.
Senior Project Managers sit across this structure, building the governance structure and master plan to manage the intricate set of dependencies. They will be expected to have broad project management experience and a deep understanding and ability to apply available project management standards, tools and techniques in order to achieve this.
Moving up the career ladder, the next step can be to Programme Manager. This is an executive role with the main difference being the programme manager will typically manage a number of projects to achieve an organizational objective. Some Project Managers also choose to move into the organizational governance roles of portfolio management and managing the portfolio, programme or project support office (P3O/PMO).
Typical Tasks
- Project planning and development of project initiation documentation (PID)
- Engage, lead and motivate the project team
- Manage senior stakeholder relationships
- Manage the level of risk
- Report project progress
- Benefits and change management
- Project closure including the capture of lessons learned.
Potential Next Steps
Programme Manager, Portfolio Manager, PMO Manager.
How to get there
AXELOS professional certifications are recognized worldwide by employers as an indicator of your skills and commitment as a project professional.
The following certifications are aimed at practising Project Managers and will support your development into more senior project management roles:
