How To Become A Software Project Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a software project manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Frank McCown Ph.D.,

Christian Hansen Ph.D.

People who are gifted in information technology-related skills are always in demand. These are people who can create software, write intricate codes for websites, and even work on robotics projects. In the pursuit of innovation, companies usually invest in information technology projects. For software-related projects, one of the people companies hire is the software project manager.

Software project managers are experienced individuals in both software development and project management. They handle software projects from inception to execution. Software project managers work with teams. These teams are often composed of individuals from different departments who have skills related to the project. They also ensure that the software is working well within the parameters set by the company. They also manage the communication of the changes that the software may bring.

If you enjoy working on software-related projects, you might like this. Of course, you would also need to have people management skills since you will be leading a team.

What general advice would you give to a software project manager?

Frank McCown Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Harding University

The market is stable for software developers, despite the economic challenges created by the pandemic. Before accepting a job offer, talk to the company's employees through online meetings or email, and see what they think of the company. Do they enjoy their work? Are there opportunities to learn new technologies? How does the company treat their employees? There's a good chance you will be working remotely in your first job, so you will need to exercise a lot of self-discipline, be punctual for online meetings, do the work you've been assigned, and know when to ask questions when you get stuck. Expect a steeper-than-normal learning curve if you are working remotely instead of in an office.

ScoreSoftware Project ManagerUS Average

Salary

8.0

Avg. Salary $115,181

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.0

Growth rate 21%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 29.97%

Black or African American 4.39%

Hispanic or Latino 8.13%

Unknown 4.79%

White 52.55%

Gender

female 32.78%

male 67.22%

Age - 38

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 - 38

Stress level

4.0

Stress level is moderate

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.6

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a software project manager

Explore software project manager education requirements

Most common software project manager degrees

Bachelor's

70.1 %

Master's

19.2 %

Associate

7.8 %

Start to develop specific software project manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Project Management	20.00%
Scrum	6.94%
Development Process	5.53%
UI	5.05%
Jira	4.66%

Complete relevant software project manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New software project managers 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 software project manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real software project manager resumes.

Research software project manager duties and responsibilities

Manage the JIRA defect log and issues.
Utilize CRM to manage resolution of customer issues to ensure satisfaction.
Lead the delivery of diagnostic GUI design and service workstation application for iGen3 (e.g.
Lead cross-functional teams for pre-silicon and post-silicon verification, audio and trace debugging, and software stability.

Prepare your software project manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your software project manager 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 software project manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable software project manager resume templates

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