Career Overlap Transition record Edition 1 · ESCO v1.2.1
Table 1Transition record

operations managertoproject manager

A operations manager already meets 61% of what the project manager role asks for. The move turns on 11 required skills not yet in the profile.

From operations manager
61%
Overlap1
To project manager
36 Skills carried over
11 Required, not held
51.1 Difficulty2
Career overlap Strong match

61%

Learning distance Real move, short list to learn

51.1/ 100

1 Share of the project manager role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the operations manager profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Why

Why this move works

A project manager role treats 25 of its required skills as things a operations manager already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

  • build business relationships
  • control of expenses
  • create project specifications
  • ensure equipment availability
  • ensure equipment maintenance
  • establish daily priorities

What stands in the way is 11 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 36 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A project manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a operations manager background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held manage several projects management skills
  • already held manage project information information skills
  • already held manage standard enterprise resource planning system working with computers
  • already held manage project metrics information skills
  • already held insourcing strategy business, administration and law
  • already held outsourcing strategy business, administration and law

All 36 carried skills, including the 25 the project manager role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 32 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier
01 management skills 3 required, 4 supplementary
  • required, not held customise project methodologies required
  • required, not held manage project changes required
  • required, not held organise project meetings required
  • optional, not held design wayside signalling interlockings optional
  • optional, not held develop business plans optional
  • optional, not held find a replacement for stage manager optional
  • optional, not held plan schedule optional
02 business, administration and law 2 required, 11 supplementary
  • required, not held project management methodology (PM²) required
  • required, not held project management principles required
  • optional, not held program management optional
  • optional, not held Agile project management optional
  • optional, not held Prince2 project management optional
  • optional, not held crowdsourcing strategy optional
  • optional, not held lean project management optional
  • optional, not held legal studies optional
  • optional, not held office administration optional
  • optional, not held total quality control optional
  • optional, not held business processes optional
  • optional, not held project configuration management optional
  • optional, not held risk identification optional
03 information skills 2 required, 2 supplementary
  • required, not held identify legal requirements required
  • required, not held perform PESTEL analysis required
  • optional, not held analyse business plans optional
  • optional, not held maintain a central project repository optional
04 communication, collaboration and creativity 2 required, 1 supplementary
  • required, not held apply conflict management required
  • required, not held draft project documentation required
  • optional, not held use communication techniques optional
05 assisting and caring 1 required
  • required, not held ensure compliance with legal requirements required
06 generic programmes and qualifications 1 required
  • required, not held communication principles required

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a project manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 36 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held build business relationships skill
  • already held control of expenses skill
  • already held create project specifications skill
  • already held ensure equipment availability skill
  • already held ensure equipment maintenance skill
  • already held establish daily priorities skill
  • already held estimate duration of work skill
  • already held follow company standards skill
  • already held internal risk management policy knowledge
  • already held liaise with managers skill
  • already held manage budgets skill
  • already held manage logistics skill
  • already held manage project information skill
  • already held manage project metrics skill
  • already held manage staff skill
  • already held manage supplies skill
  • already held negotiate with stakeholders skill
  • already held perform project management skill
  • already held perform resource planning skill
  • already held perform risk analysis skill
  • already held project management knowledge
  • already held provide cost benefit analysis reports skill
  • already held supervise daily information operations skill
  • already held train employees skill
  • already held write work-related reports skill
  • already held apply change management skill
  • already held corporate social responsibility knowledge
  • already held create a financial report skill
  • already held insourcing strategy knowledge
  • already held maintain relationship with suppliers skill
  • already held manage several projects skill
  • already held manage standard enterprise resource planning system skill
  • already held outsourcing strategy knowledge
  • already held quality assurance methodologies knowledge
  • already held recruit employees skill
  • already held strive for company growth skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
Skill to acquire Tier
07 natural sciences, mathematics and statistics 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held mathematics optional
  • optional, not held statistics optional
08 engineering, manufacturing and construction 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held quantity surveying optional
21 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to acquire Tier
  • optional, not held program management optional
  • optional, not held Agile project management optional
  • optional, not held Prince2 project management optional
  • optional, not held crowdsourcing strategy optional
  • optional, not held design wayside signalling interlockings optional
  • optional, not held develop business plans optional
  • optional, not held find a replacement for stage manager optional
  • optional, not held lean project management optional
  • optional, not held legal studies optional
  • optional, not held office administration optional
  • optional, not held quantity surveying optional
  • optional, not held total quality control optional
  • optional, not held analyse business plans optional
  • optional, not held business processes optional
  • optional, not held maintain a central project repository optional
  • optional, not held mathematics optional
  • optional, not held plan schedule optional
  • optional, not held project configuration management optional
  • optional, not held risk identification optional
  • optional, not held statistics optional
  • optional, not held use communication techniques optional
55 held skills the project manager role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role accounting knowledge
  • not needed by the target role adhere to organisational guidelines skill
  • not needed by the target role advise on efficiency improvements skill
  • not needed by the target role advise on utility consumption skill
  • not needed by the target role align efforts towards business development skill
  • not needed by the target role assess financial viability skill
  • not needed by the target role assess supplier risks skill
  • not needed by the target role budget for financial needs skill
  • not needed by the target role contract law knowledge
  • not needed by the target role control financial resources skill
  • not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
  • not needed by the target role database quality standards knowledge
  • not needed by the target role develop business case skill
  • not needed by the target role develop revenue generation strategies skill
  • not needed by the target role develop staff skill
  • not needed by the target role employment law knowledge
  • not needed by the target role energy conservation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role estimate profitability skill
  • not needed by the target role evaluate employees skill
  • not needed by the target role evaluate project plans skill
  • not needed by the target role facilities management in the organisation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role handle customer complaints skill
  • not needed by the target role impart business plans to collaborators skill
  • not needed by the target role implement corporate governance skill
  • not needed by the target role information confidentiality knowledge
  • not needed by the target role interpret financial statements skill
  • not needed by the target role liaise with government officials skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain customer service skill
  • not needed by the target role maintain relationship with customers skill
  • not needed by the target role make data-driven decisions skill
  • not needed by the target role make investment decisions skill
  • not needed by the target role make strategic business decisions skill
  • not needed by the target role manage facilities services skill
  • not needed by the target role manage maintenance operations skill
  • not needed by the target role manage major incidents skill
  • not needed by the target role manage profitability skill
  • not needed by the target role manufacturing processes knowledge
  • not needed by the target role meet deadlines skill
  • not needed by the target role negotiate terms with suppliers skill
  • not needed by the target role operations management knowledge

15 further entries not listed here

17 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to acquire Tier
  • required, not held communication principles required
  • required, not held project management methodology (PM²) required
  • required, not held project management principles required
  • optional, not held program management optional
  • optional, not held Agile project management optional
  • optional, not held Prince2 project management optional
  • optional, not held crowdsourcing strategy optional
  • optional, not held lean project management optional
  • optional, not held legal studies optional
  • optional, not held office administration optional
  • optional, not held quantity surveying optional
  • optional, not held total quality control optional
  • optional, not held business processes optional
  • optional, not held mathematics optional
  • optional, not held project configuration management optional
  • optional, not held risk identification optional
  • optional, not held statistics optional
Index

Other moves recorded from operations manager

Full index of moves from operations manager

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.