How To Become A Project Manager/Team Lead: What It Is and Career Path

What is a project manager/team lead and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Nicole Jones Young Ph.D.

Do you want to be a Project Manager/Team Lead? If so, you will be responsible for the successful planning, make sure your team is performing at their top level, and be responsible for the day-to-day running of the development process. You will manage the team dynamics throughout the entire project and ensure the team's focus on project deliverables. You will be responsible for setting the expectation for team members. You must direct the team during the entire project. You will need communication and leadership skills, organization skills, and the ability to manage a team.

Project Managers get things done, and project leaders make changes happen. You will need to hold a bachelor's degree in management, business, or a related field as well as professional certification and related experience to be a project manager/team lead. You will need to be highly organized, have the ability to motivate and manage others, and be analytical. As a Project Manager/Team Lead, you can make a median annual salary of $95,000.

What general advice would you give to a project manager/team lead?

Nicole Jones Young Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Organizational Behavior, Franklin and Marshall College

Be flexible. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a lot of uncertainty, but has created new opportunities in others. Staying flexible allows individuals to shift focus away from industries or occupations that may be in decline, and re-focus on employment opportunities that may be more aligned with our current moment.

ScoreProject Manager/Team LeadUS Average

Salary

7.8

Avg. Salary $106,977

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

4.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.51%

Asian 11.99%

Black or African American 6.24%

Hispanic or Latino 8.82%

Unknown 4.70%

White 67.73%

Gender

female 32.15%

male 67.85%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

7.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.7

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a project manager/team lead

Explore project manager/team lead education requirements

Most common project manager/team lead degrees

Bachelor's

68.4 %

Master's

16.8 %

Associate

9.4 %

Start to develop specific project manager/team lead skills

Skills	Percentages
Project Management	20.61%
Project Scope	7.23%
Infrastructure	7.17%
Process Improvement	5.36%
Risk Management	3.69%

Complete relevant project manager/team lead training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New project managers/team lead learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a project manager/team lead based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real project manager/team lead resumes.

Research project manager/team lead duties and responsibilities

Manage the SDLC using Iterative/Agile and waterfall methodologies where appropriate.
Lead professional services engagements from assessment analysis to completion by partnering directly with healthcare providers to enhance revenue collection and efficiency.
Create, monitor and maintain detail project plans, document and resolve issues and risks, develop PMO processes.
Participate in the planning and growth of the PMO to support rapidly changing business needs of a small company.

Get project manager/team lead experience

Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a project manager/team lead. The most common roles before becoming a project manager/team lead include project manager, senior project manager team lead and team leader.

Prepare your project manager/team lead resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your project manager/team lead resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a project manager/team lead resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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