Introduction
The broader question here is: "How do I get a project management position in a different industry?" Is this even possible? If you raise this question amongst a group of project management folk, their responses will inevitable fall into two groups.
There are those who argue — correctly in my opinion — that after all said and done, a project is a project. Indeed, the same hard and soft competencies that are required to successfully manage a project in one domain, also apply when managing a project in another. The members of this group will likely bring up examples in which experienced project managers have practiced successfully in a variety of industries, as indeed I have.
On the other hand, there will be those who will argue that in spite of how successful a project manager has been in one field, their effectiveness decreases when they have to manage a project in a different field. They may even point to the oft quoted data that indicates that the rate of failure of projects has really not changed much, if at all, over the last half century. This they suggest is due no doubt to the attempt to apply the same project management principles and practices equally across all projects.
So why is this and who is right?
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