PM Chat x Igor Kozlov
Based in Vancouver, Canada
Igor is a Vancouver based Technical Project Manager with an extensive background as a software engineer and technical lead. As a PM in the tech space, he shares some wisdom and perspective on the role today.
You are a software industry veteran (with a background in software engineering + physics) who has been in a technical lead/management role in the last 5+ years of your career. What are some of the skills from your background that you consider as strengths for those looking to transition from engineering to a management role in the tech sector?
The ability to solve challenges with minimal effort is one of the most important skills in engineering. Challenge resolution often requires consideration, foresight and planning in most cases. The latter is a skill in engineering roles that is also considered as a key strength in project management.
What would you say are the key differences between a digital project manager v. a technical project manager (or dev manager)?
These roles are different in responsibilities such as preparing an engineer for handling challenging situations from a technical side as a development manager or coordinating planning in collaboration with the engineer for a project management standpoint.
You have a talent for supporting as well as mentoring developers and really diving deeper into complex problem solving - is this critical for a technical management role?
The projects are different in complexity and engineering teams are different in skill types. Ability to align the team on a joined effort and speak the same language as engineers is very beneficial for a technical project manager.
“There is no point to cut quality in any fast paced environment. ”
What is your approach in managing and guiding clients during the technical aspects of a project, including the development phase (especially those who might not have experience with technology or delivery processes)?
Transparency in communication and demonstrating results are part of the approach. All clients are different and there could be technically savvy ones who like to challenge communication with the engineering team or less savvy where projects phases need to be communicated in the ‘client’ lingo.
What are some of the key processes during the initial project start phase that can assure a successful development scope delivery?
Reviewing the requirements, building out a solid project plan as well as creating the time to ask and answer as many questions with the client all leads to a strong alignment which is important for successful delivery.
Where do you see the role of a technical project manager sitting between design and development phases of project execution?
A technical project manager controls and improves the process when there is a need and opportunity independently of a project phase with potentially less involvement in the design phase since sometimes design phases could be very specific.
Modern age digital and product delivery work can be very stressful and fast paced, how do you balance quality over speed?
There is no point to cut quality in any fast paced environment. Consider moving portions of project scope to a future development phase if you as a project manager feel the proposed timeline is not sufficient.
In your previous roles, you’ve been highlighted as having built up one of the highest delivery teams under your leadership. What are your recommendations to other TPMs/Dev managers for helping to build high performing teams?
Frankly, it has been about creating a united team culture and supporting a common goal. The challenge and the goal is to have everyone who is involved to share mutual understanding and having each other’s backs.
What are some of your tips and hacks for keeping up with the fast pace speed of technology?
There is not anything modern or new in the long time established approach of being curious about technological innovation. Videos, articles and books are your friends if you are looking for more knowledge. Don’t just read but consider what could be applied to your daily work and get concentrated on that.
You have worked in Europe, US and Canada. Any key differences between working with US v. Canadian tech teams?
I have worked with many teams that included many Canadian team members and my previous experience also included colleagues from India, China, and the US all working as a team. The work outcome depends on people's attitudes and I would confidently say that there is no dependency on cultural aspects as soon the team members are aligned in respect to a mutual goal.
As someone who has worked throughout most of his career from an office, any key challenges and strengths that you have identified from working remotely?
The beneficial part of remote work is saving commute time. On the same note, the less beneficial part is to be in the same limited environment, sharing your emotions via emojis, and being fully dependent on your computer and network which is a bit of a challenge. The increasing strength for many people from what I see and hear has been getting better at messaging communication 😊
Finally, is project management trainable or do you think this role encompasses other key traits? If yes, what are they and where do they come from?
The PM methodology is trainable although the key traits come from the experience of applying the learned skills to live scenarios as in many other disciplines.
