The main differences between project and product managers has a lot to do with the difference between project management vs product management. Product management vs project management: the differences A lot of that difference has to do with their primary focus, even if they are working on the same thing.Īnd because project managers and product managers can work on the same product, they have some similarities as well. Three similarities and three differences between product manager and project managerĮven though the names are very similar there is a difference between project manager and product manager. When it’s all said and done, if you’re a project manager you’re making sure teams deliver the solutions to the problems that a product manager identifies within a certain timeframe and budget. Identify the people or organizations impacted by the project, and effectively engage those stakeholders in project decisions and execution.Acquire products, services, or results needed from outside the project team.Facilitate risk management for the project, which often involves identifying, analyzing and mitigating key risks.Maintain relevant project information and communicate it to project team members and stakeholders outside of the project team.Determine quality policies, objectives, and responsibilities so that your project satisfies the needs for which it was undertaken.Budget, and manage costs so your team completes the project within the approved budget.Lead time management for your project, meaning that your team finishes the project within the desired project timeline.Ensure you deliver only the necessary deliverables to have a successful project.The Project Management Institute (PMI) identifies the following: In order to complete the project there are several things you’ll find yourself doing as a product manager. You focus on a discrete set of work with a specific end date, often referred to as a project. Instead you drive toward project completion within the constraints that you’re provided. You typically do not establish these constraints.
Iron triangle means you deliver a specific project scope by a certain time within a certain budget. Project manager roles and responsibilitiesĪs a project manager, you ensure that your team delivers the identified solution within established constraints, which are often characterized as the “iron triangle.” You’re deciding which problems to solve for your customers and measuring when those problems are solved. When it’s all said and done, if you’re a product manager you’re paying attention to things outside the organization and within.
Your product is an ongoing asset for your organization rather than a one time effort. It’s also important to note that you repeat the above steps over and over again. Hopefully those functions are part of your product team as well. When you identify customer needs, you work with your product team to discover a solution and build it.Īnd you work with marketing and sales to establish pricing, sell your product and make it available to your organization’s customers. In many cases, you play a part in crafting the product vision and product strategy. You refer to a product vision and product strategy to evaluate whether your team should solve specific problems. This requires a bit of customer discovery and market research. In order to do that you have to build and maintain a direct, meaningful connection with your organization’s customers. You are, in effect, deciding what problems your product team should solve. Decide if it’s worth it for your organization to solve those problems ( Marty Cagan refers to this as viability).Decide if it’s worth it for your customers to have those problems solved ( Marty Cagan refers to this as value).Determine what problems your customers have.Product manager roles and responsibilitiesĪs a product manager you understand the needs of your customers and discover ways to satisfy those needs that are beneficial to your organization. In order to compare and contrast project manager vs product manager the best place to start is to look at the responsibilities for each job. Product manager vs project manager: the basics Here’s a look at those two job descriptions along with some information to consider when deciding whether you should have both job titles in your organization. When you compare product manager vs project manager, you’ll find there’s some significant differences as well as important similarities. When you have two jobs with the same abbreviation and similar sounding titles, there’s bound to be confusion.