And why it even matters?
The title “project manager” might sound similar to the title “product manager,” but they are not the same thing. And while there are some similarities and overlap in skills, there are really key differences between the role of a project manager vs a product manager.
Project vs Product
Before we even get into the difference between a project manager vs product manager, we need to understand the key differences between a project and a product.
Understanding definitions is a necessary starting point for diving into this topic and really understanding those key differences.
What is a project?
A project is a temporary single initiative that generally has constraints around resources, budget, and time. A project has a clear start and end date to deliver a specific outcome.
What is a product?
A product is a good, service, platform, application, system, etc., that is created to meet customer and business needs. There is no fixed end date for a product as continuous discovery and development is ongoing.
So, what is the difference when it comes to management?
There are several differences in the roles of project vs product managers.
While a project manager has a specific team reporting into them for the duration of that project, a product manager sees the lifecycle of a product itself including the strategy and vision associated with making that product come to fruition.
These roles are not exactly the same in nature, and there are many key differences to be aware of if you’re debating between a project vs product manager role.
Details of the differences
Let’s dive into the details of the differences between project vs. product managers. Head over to my YouTube channel with me and we’ll keep chatting about this on my most recent video!
If you’re looking into a project management career and want to lead every project to success, make sure you check out my SLAY Project Management course where I give you all the templates, tips, and techniques to implement to SLAY your projects.
-Adriana
