TPM - Technical Program (or Project) Manager - What to Know About This Role
I will not give you the general definition of the Technical Project Manager role (since that is what you would get from asking #ai), but instead practical knowledge if you want to implement this role in your organisation as well
"Must know" about Technical Project Manager Role (TPM)
- ! acting as a bridge between technical teams and business goals
- it is IC (individual contributor) role â until TPM has to manage group of other TPMs [1]
- can be scaled up as IC role â Staff Technical Project Manager etc.
- What does "technical" mean?
- connecting technical implementation and business outcomes
- it does NOT mean, this person is solely focused on technical implementation
- The program management role is a sub-set of TPM
- Difference between #PM and #TPM
- TPMs focus on the "how" and "when" of product development, while product managers focus on the "what" and "why"
- Median compensation is $139K (109K-180K/year) - at this day 5.5.2025 [2]
Key Responsibilities
- Program Management:
TPMs manage the entire program lifecycle, from initial planning to final deployment, ensuring projects stay on track and align with business objectives. - Cross-Functional Coordination:
They work with various teams, including engineering, product, and marketing, to facilitate communication and collaboration. - Technical Expertise:
TPMs need a solid understanding of technology and engineering principles to effectively manage technical projects and provide guidance. - Risk Management:
They identify and mitigate potential risks and issues that could impact the program's success. - Stakeholder Management:
TPMs communicate progress and updates to various stakeholders, including executives, engineering teams, and product managers. - Process Improvement:
They strive to optimize processes and workflows to improve efficiency and effectiveness. - Negotiation and Scope Management:
TPMs often negotiate with technical dependencies and help manage project scope and timelines. - Collaboration and Enablement:
They work to create a "safe space" for teams to collaborate effectively and achieve optimal performance, often encouraging practices like #pair-programming and shadowing.
This article was originally published on https://craftengineer.com/. It was written by a human and polished using grammar tools for clarity.
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