How to Become a Project Manager

What Is Project Management?

Project management is the practice of planning, organising, and overseeing work to achieve specific goals within constraints like time, budget, and scope. In practice, that means a lot of meetings, spreadsheets, timelines, and difficult conversations. You are the person who figures out what needs to happen, breaks it into manageable pieces, assigns those pieces to people, and then spends your days making sure nothing falls behind. Some days, you are updating Gantt charts. Other days you are calming down a stakeholder who just realised the deadline is next week. The job title sounds straightforward, but the actual work touches on everything: communication, risk management, resource allocation, and, occasionally, playing therapist for stressed-out teams.

Why Does Project Management Matter?

Projects fail all the time. Budgets explode, deadlines slip, teams burn out, and somehow the final product looks nothing like what anyone wanted. Good project management is what prevents that. It is not glamorous, but it is the difference between a company that executes and one that just has ideas. According to the Project Management Institute, organisations lose an average of 11.4% of their investment due to poor project performance. That is real money being lost because nobody was keeping track of the details.

Is Project Management a Good Career?

It is one of those careers that exist in almost every industry, giving you options most people do not have.

• Demand is consistent. The Project Management Institute estimates that employers will need nearly 25 million new project professionals by 2030. Every industry runs projects, and someone has to manage them.
• The pay is solid. In the UK, the APM Salary Survey 2025 puts the average at £52,500, up 10% from £47,500 in 2023. Senior PMs and those in sectors such as energy, legal, or consultancy can earn an average of £62,500.
• Industry flexibility. Construction, tech, healthcare, finance, media; project management skills apply everywhere. If you are ready for something different, you can move to another sector without starting from scratch. Not many careers offer that kind of mobility.
• Remote work is common. Especially in tech and consulting, remote PM roles are everywhere. The job is mostly coordination, documentation, and meetings; all of which can happen online. Hybrid is the norm now, and fully remote is not unusual.
• Clear progression. Junior PM to PM to Senior PM to Programme Manager to Head of PMO to Director. The ladder is well-defined. Or you can branch into product management, operations, or consulting. Plenty of exits if you want them.

How Do I Become a Project Manager? A Step-by-Step Guide

You do not need a specific degree, but you do need to prove you can keep complex work on track. Here is how to build that proof.

1. 1
   Understand the fundamentals. Learn what project management actually involves: scope, time, cost, quality, risk, and stakeholder management. The PMBOK Guide is the industry standard reference, covering knowledge areas and process groups that most certifications build upon. For something more digestible, start with free resources from PMI or APM. You need the vocabulary before you can have the conversations.
2. 2
   Learn the major methodologies. Different projects call for different approaches. Waterfall is linear and phase-based: good for construction or manufacturing where requirements are fixed upfront. Agile is iterative and flexible, and it is dominant in software development. Within Agile, Scrum uses sprints and defined roles, while Kanban focuses on continuous flow and visualising work. Lean principles eliminate waste and maximise value. For complex scheduling, the Critical Path Method (CPM) identifies the longest sequence of dependent tasks, while the Critical Chain Method accounts for resource constraints. PRINCE2 is a process-driven methodology that is favoured by the UK government. Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma focus on quality, that is, reducing defects. You do not need to master all of them, but having a sense of which one suits which situation makes you all-round. Out of experience, we are fans in working in very agile and scrappy teams, but your preferences may differ.
3. 3
   Get comfortable with the tools. Jira dominates sprint planning and issue tracking in software teams. Asana and Monday.com are popular for general project coordination. Trello uses Kanban-style boards and works well for simpler projects. Airtable blends spreadsheets with database functionality. Smartsheet is common in big enterprises that want Excel-like familiarity with project features. AI assistants like Copilot or the all-mighty Linear are increasingly used in these workflows. Most tools have free tiers. Spend time building test projects to learn how to utilise these tools before you need them on the job.
4. 4
   Develop your soft skills. This is the part people underestimate. Project management is 20% tools and 80% people. You need to run meetings that do not waste time, have difficult conversations about missed deadlines, negotiate scope with stakeholders, and keep teams motivated when things go wrong. Communication, leadership, and organisational skills are almost always listed in PM job descriptions. Read about conflict resolution and influencing without authority, then practice constantly.
5. 5
   Build relevant experience. You do not need a PM title to start doing PM work. Volunteer to coordinate a project at your current job, even if your role is something else entirely. Organise a community event, manage a website redesign for a friend, or assist on cross-functional initiatives at work. Many project managers start in adjacent roles, such as business analyst, team lead, or operations coordinator, and gradually take on more responsibility. What you have actually done matters more than the title.
6. 6
   Consider a degree (but know it's not always required). A bachelor's degree helps your CV get noticed, especially at larger companies. Business administration, management, computer science, or engineering are common backgrounds. Business degrees tend to cover leadership, communication, and organisational behaviour; technical degrees give you domain expertise that's valued in industries like IT or construction. Most project managers hold degrees, but requirements are loosening. Employers are starting to care less about the diploma and more about whether you can do the job. If you are already employed, certifications and hands-on experience may be a better investment of your time.
7. 7
   Earn a certificate. Certifications signal commitment and provide structured learning. CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management) from PMI is designed for beginners, while PMP (Project Management Professional) is the most recognised, but requires two to five years of experience. PRINCE2 Foundation & Practitioner are valued in the UK and Europe, especially in the public sector. For Agile, think about Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Professional Scrum Master (PSM), or ICAgile certifications. The Google Project Management Certificate is a more accessible starting point if you want foundational training without exam pressure. The right certification depends on what sector you're aiming for and your experience level.
8. 8
   Start applying. Browse PM job listings to see what employers are looking for, then adjust your CV. If you are just getting started, look for starting positions like Project Coordinator, Associate Project Manager, Junior Project Manager, or Operations Coordinator. These jobs get you the experience you need for senior positions.

Resources and Further Reading

• Google Project Management Professional Certificate – A decent starting point covering both traditional and Agile methodologies. Seven courses, takes about six months if you’re putting in 10 hours a week. Good for building vocabulary and understanding the basics.
• Project Management Institute (PMI) – The organisation behind PMP, CAPM, and the PMBOK Guide. Their website has free resources, webinars, and practice standards.
• Association for Project Management (APM) – The UK chartered body for project management. They offer their own qualifications and publish the annual APM Salary Survey. Good for networking if you are based in the UK or targeting UK companies.
• Scrum.org – If you are going into tech, you need to understand Scrum. Offers the PSM certification and free resources, including the Scrum Guide, which is only 13 pages, although key reading. Their learning paths cover Scrum Master, Product Owner, and Developer tracks.
• PRINCE2 Official Site – If you are targeting the UK government or large European organisations, PRINCE2 certification has importance. The official site provides exam information, accredited training providers, and an overview of the process.
• Atlassian Agile Coach – Free guides on Agile, Scrum, Kanban, and Lean from the company that makes Jira and Trello. Practical and well-written, with templates and tutorials. Good to learn about how these methodologies work in real teams.
• r/projectmanagement – Actual conversations from people in the field. Certification comparisons, tool recommendations, career advice, and plenty of venting about difficult stakeholders. Browse top posts to see common questions and hard-won lessons.