Product vs. Project vs. Program Manager: What’s the Difference?
Three titles you’ll often see at tech companies are product manager, program manager, and product manager. All three titles sound very similar, and if you abbreviate them, they all shorten to “PM.” Because the three titles are so close, it’s easy to assume that they’re pretty much the same role.
Even though they share similarities, product managers, program managers, and project managers have different job responsibilities. The day-to-day of each job varies greatly. What makes a successful product manager isn’t the same as what makes a success program manager, and vice versa.
A key difference between all three is the questions they ask about the projects and products they work on.
Depending on your skills, strengths, and interests, one may be a better fit for you.
Read on to learn more about these three job titles and their key similarities and differences.
Product manager vs. project manager
Both product managers and project managers are concerned with delivering software projects. But their level of involvement varies, particularly around the scope and lifecycle of the project. Overall, product managers are focused on strategy and vision, while project managers are focused on execution.
A product manager thinks about the holistic view of the why and so what of a product. What will the benefit to users be? What are the major requirements of the product? How will the overall experience affect the company’s business goals and objectives? What work will be necessary in the long term to ensure the success of the product? Product managers want to know what they’re doing the right thing for their product and for the business.
Meanwhile, a project manager focuses more specifically on the what, how, and when. How will this product be delivered? By when must it be done? What resources and skills are necessary to complete the project by the deadline to the specifications outlined? How can the project be broken into smaller steps? Who will be responsible for delivering which aspects of the project? Project managers specialize on getting the right thing done correctly and on time.
Although product managers often have to ask some of the questions project managers own—like thinking about deadlines and scope—product managers typically share answering these questions with other members of their team, like engineering managers.
Additionally, a product manager thinks about a product from the idea to well after the launch of the product. Not only is the product manager considering what the product will be and why—but the long-term iteration needed to continue to improve and refine it. By contrast, project managers are focused more on the mechanics of delivering the project and then moving onto managing another one.
Key skills of product managers vs. project managers
Product managers must be able to
- articulate goals and outcomes of a product
- create a narrative around the why of a product— and communicates it clearly to stakeholders
- organize quantitative and qualitative data to gain insights about the success of a product and how to improve it in the future
Project managers must be able to
- outline timelines and dependencies for a project
- communicate clearly what is required from whom and when to ensure the project is done on time
- deliver a high-quality project on time, in scope, and within budget
Both must
- communicate clearly plans and goals
- define success and scope
- manage customers’ and stakeholders’ expectations
- identify and manage risks or potential blockers in completing a project
Product manager vs. program manager
Product managers and program managers both tend to be involved in the ideation, development, execution, and delivery of projects. Product managers tend to focus on a specific product or product line, whereas program managers execute multi-team or multi-department initiatives that require close coordination. A product manager thinks vertically and in-depth about their product(s), while a program manager thinks horizontally across the organization.
Product managers think about the product lifecycle and how to ideate, plan, build, deliver, and iterate on products. They want to ensure that what their team creates helps the company meet stated objectives and goals. They think deeply about the product’s users, and they have an in-depth understanding of the market.
Program managers, meanwhile, think about how to ensure all moving pieces of a program work together in concert. They understand intimately how different departments in an organization must come together to launch a product or roll out a new process. They are wizards at cross-functional communication and ensuring the right people are talking to each other at the right time.
A program manager may work with several product managers to deliver a product line or a product with multiple systems. For example, many smart home products require a software product manager, a hardware product manager, and a middleware product manager each delivering separate pieces of the product. The program manager’s job is to ensure that the hardware, middleware, and software products will meet each other’s needs and will be delivered in the correct sequence.
Or a program manager might be working on a company-wide rollout of a new workflow or process. The engineering team may be changing how data flows from the company application database into a system like Salesforce. This change will then affect other teams, like sales, finance, and operations. The program manager would be responsible for orchestrating how all the departments interact and are affected.
Key skills of product managers vs. program managers
Product managers must be able to
- set and communicate strategy for a product
- define success for a product
- work through the lifecycle of a product, from ideation to launch to iteration
Program managers must be able to
- manage resources and dependencies
- coordinate communication across teams and departments
- track multiple timelines, teams, and deliverables
Both must
- manage cross-functional communication
- set expectations across teams and stakeholders
- understand complex systems and how they relate to one another
- move quickly from a micro to macro view and vice versa
- identify and manage risks or potential blockers in completing a project
In brief: program managers vs. project managers
The differences between program managers and project managers are less dramatic than with product managers. In general, a project manager focuses on delivering a project with one team, whereas a program manager focuses on delivering a large initiative or multiple projects across teams or departments.
In addition, program managers’ work tends to be higher visibility, because they are responsible for ensuring the success of complex, multi-team, multi-stream tracks of work that can have company-wide impacts.
Which one is best for you?
All three roles are concerned with delivering at software companies and require communication, organization, and expectation setting. They all must work with members of other teams and departments, and they all have responsibility for ensuring the successful delivery of products. The best one for you will depend on how you like to work and your strengths.
- In general, product management is a great fit for people who want to build products and deliver business outcomes. They like thinking both at the big picture level and in the tiny details. They excel at working with engineers, designers, and stakeholders, and they love thinking about the why and so what.
- Project management, meanwhile, works well for hyper-organized people who can visualize timelines and dependencies. They are motivated to be efficient and deliver high-quality projects to specifications, on time, and in budget.
- Program management can be great for folks who like thinking big picture like product managers but enjoy the organizational and project management aspects of the job. Like product managers, they understand how complex systems interact but are more focused on execution than strategy.
Every role will have its pros and cons, and it can be helpful to talk to people who are already in these jobs to learn more about what it’s like to both become one and to do the job.
If you’re interested in becoming a product manager or breaking into tech, meeting with a mentor can help you understand what role is the best fit for you and how to begin making a career pivot. Signing up for Merit allows you to met with hundreds of senior mentors in tech—for free.