Getting ready for a PM role ?

I've seen this happen time and again in the IT field.

A competent technical person (Software Engineer) or a functional person (Business Analyst) are promoted from the job that they are very good at, to the

Dilbert Principle keeps getting them in trouble, they will continue to promote competent technical or functional managers out of the role they are good at, and put them in charge of managing the team, managing the scope, and managing the operating schedule.

These PM activities have everything to do with running a project successfully, but nothing to do about the technology being used or the requirements that is being delivered.

It's just a matter of chance that a high performing individual succeeds in the PM role, as the skills required are very different. If the company takes its time to groom the individual to learn the various aspects of the project management or mentors the individual over a period of time, the high performing individual becomes a coin tossed in the air.

It is the best to leave the Project Management to the PMPs.

In my case, I am greatful to my company, as I had a mentor before I took on the project management completely and they sponsored my PMP training and certification well ahead of me taking up full-fledged project management all by myself.

This was advantageous in two ways.
1. I learnt the right ways of managing the various aspects of the project management
2. I didn't have any wrong ways of handling the project management situations to unlearn