This research study focuses on the competency development of information-technology project managers. The research questions addressed by this study are: 1) What kinds of on-the-job experiences are perceived by IT project managers as the most critical for accelerating project manager competence? 2) As a result of insights gained through these critical on-the-job experiences, what changes in practices do IT project managers report making? 3) How do other people support IT project managers as they experience career events perceived to be developmental? A critical incident approach was used to analyze the 64 career experiences recounted by 19 global IT project managers. The findings build on existing research by specifying main themes of challenging on-the-job experiences as the primary method by which participants believed they had gained competency in project management. Specifically, project managers reported that as a result of these experiences, they gained an increased ability to manage the scope of the work, manage relationships, and manage the vision of the project. Finally, project managers described how they were supported by others. The findings lead to several recommendations focused on how organizations can better structure and accelerate capability in IT project leaders.
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