Survey: How many people work as project managers in process design

It must be a small number; if everyone has become a project manager, who will do the actual work then?

After working in process design for a certain number of years, one can become a project manager; by then, it’s not possible to refuse such an opportunity. However, this process is quite long; it takes at least 5 years, and in some cases more than 10 years. Those who are unable to serve as project managers may have weaker abilities. Smaller units might make you the project manager earlier.

In fact, many people who studied craftsmanship have changed careers; some work on projects, while others are involved in budgeting and similar tasks. I have a classmate who originally studied craftsmanship; after working in that field for several years and feeling that there was little room for advancement, he switched to working on projects. In fact, craftsmanship is something that requires continuous learning over time – at first one works slowly under the guidance of a master, and only after gaining enough experience can one start designing small projects on one’s own. But I think there’s never an end to learning craftsmanship.

Having been engaged in process design for over 5 years, one needs to gain experience as a project leader by working on smaller projects. This helps to develop communication and coordination skills when interacting with clients, various professionals, department heads, production managers, business leaders, the sales department, the technical quality department, and the chief engineer. It also tests one’s familiarity with different technical aspects, enabling the ability to make decisions regarding the overall project plan and key technical solutions. In short, the role of a project leader tests a person’s emotional intelligence; merely having strong professional skills is not sufficient! 60–70% of process designers are capable of serving as project leaders, but there are those who, even after a lifetime of working in design, are not qualified for such roles.

Agree with the person above. For those in the process engineering field, having deep technical expertise allows them to serve as chief engineers, but to work as project managers, one needs strong communication and coordination skills, as well as the ability to handle pressure and make decisions. The designers are all looking at you, the client as well as the company’s management are watching you and putting pressure on you.

It depends on one’s insight in design; for those working in process design, compared to those involved in chemical projects, they have a broader range of knowledge, which allows them to take on the role of project manager more quickly. However, a qualified process design engineer cannot be considered such without experience in designing large-scale projects over a period of more than a decade.