Program Manager Vs Project Manager: Key Differences

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To begin with, there are two main types of manager roles in an organization: program manager and project manager. So Here, we will discuss all the perspectives of the Program Manager Vs Project Manager.

While both program and project managers handle tasks to be delivered within a deadline with teams, on the contrary, their roles are distinct. A project manager focuses on individual short-term functions, on the other hand, a program manager oversees a coordinated group of projects, comparatively each with its long-term objectives.

Key Responsibilities – Program Vs Project Manager

How Do They Work Together in a Company?

A company’s project and program managers often work together despite of their distinct roles. It’s important to note that the program manager holds a broad strategic vision, while the project manager handles the tactical fragments that align with that vision. Hence, In many cases, the Project manager reports to the concerned program manager, whereas the program manager has a separate hierarchy to report to. However, for some big tasks, both work as a team to deliver it on time and successfully.

What is Best Among Both?

As a project manager, you can keep exploring from one project to another. Hence, this is best for you if you want variety or something new to learn. Moreover, most of the skill sets required for both posts are similar. So, you can choose the project manager post, eventually leading you to the program manager role as you progress well in your projects. 

Job Growth

Both jobs have great scope in the future; so, here is the  data that we derived from renowned project management institutes and job portal websites:

Salary Scope

According to various career platforms, the program manager’s salary is comparatively higher than the project manager’s. Because they oversee many projects simultaneously. Project managers’ wages depend on the industry, specific roles, and specialties. Moreover, it also critically depends on the professional’s experience with industry location and sector.

Project Manager Vs Program Manager: Skills expected

The skills that both professionals should have are-

• Experience in the respective type of industry
• Communication
• Organization
• Cross-functional collaboration

The Project Manager skills:

• They must thoroughly know all aspects of management and implementing management tools, such as GANTT charts, Asana, and burndown charts.
• Leadership quality is crucial to run projects smoothly.
• Budgeting and risk management are skills that affect the quality of deliverables.
• Project management systems and methodologies like Agile, scrum, and Waterfall.

The Program Manager skills:

• Firstly, we expect all the skills mentioned above of a project manager to be a program manager, and here, comparatively, you must handle many projects together.
• Strong managerial skills
• Familiarity with present business operations
• Lastly, thorough knowledge of business and clients from the industry.

Certification required

For project management

• Project Management Professional-(PMP)  from Henry Harvin.
• Certified Associate in Project Management-(CAPM)
• Scrum Masters Certifications 

For program management

A project manager with proper certifications and impressive experience in successfully executing and delivering projects is eligible for the program manager role. In that case

many online and offline institutions offer PgMP Certification for advanced Program management experience and skills.

Best Institute For PMP Course

To get a successful career in project management, firstly you need to acquire the proper qualifications to be called a project manager. For this reason, one of the most famous institutions is Henry Harvin Education, which provides you with thorough online learning in project management. Let’s look at the course offered here:

 Henry Harvin’s PMP Project Management Course 

Henry Harvin proudly ranks among the top 500 global Edtech companies. At first, the new PMP course covers the best practices mentioned in the latest PMBOK Guide edition.

It’s a globally industry-recognized certification for project managers. Hence, this course helps learners to foster expertise, confidence, and leadership skills.

Here are the top benefits of learning with HH:

• 9 in-1 courses: 36 hours of online training, sessions, projects, internship assistance, Govt of India recognized certification,100% placement support, E-learning access, Masterclasses, Hackathons, one-year gold membership.
• Use a unique training methodology: live projects, goal-centric, goal-oriented pedagogy, leveraging industry case studies, and end-to-end engagement.
• Internationally acclaimed and certified PMP certified trainers with 10+ years of industry experience.
• In addition to this, Skills covered are conflict management, team leadership, process improvement, also engaging stakeholders, compliance requirement management, and finally, training team members.
• Career services include placement drives, along with premium Henry Harvin job portal access, and also personalized job consulting.
• Don’t worry if you have not managed projects earlier; in that case, the PMP® certification training mentioned above will help you be more efficient and improve your performance. Furthermore, it’s very similar to how a CPA title certifies and provides expertise for accountants, and the PMP® certification course upskills your ability to manage projects.

• It adds value to your current work career and professional portfolio. Furthermore, in India, the PMP® certification training helps professionals earn a notable hike over their previous salary. In contrast, the Certified PMPs earn approximately 25% more than general project managers. For more details, visit henryharvin.com.

Concluding Program Manager Vs Project Manager

As, we discussed all the necessary points, comparing the program and project manager. Consequently, we learned the critical differences between working together in an organization and having different roles. For this reason, It’s essential to decide where to study and get skilled to become a successful project manager. Indeed, only when you succeed as a project manager then only you become a program manager. Being a program manager requires years of experience with numerous planned and finely delivered projects.

Lastly,  You should undoubtedly know various management tools and methodologies, from traditional to the latest or, we can say, newly adopted. Finally, we can say that both managerial roles are fundamental pillars of a company. Despite this, they are different.

Recommended Reads

• Top Benefits of Project Management
• Free PMP Practice Exam Sample Questions and Answers
• Top 10 Project Management Apps To Use
• What is Scrum: Methodologies In Project Management

Frequently Asked Questions

Q.1 How does the role of a program and project manager differ?

Ans. The project manager plans, executes, and looks after a single project. Whereas, a program manager oversees multiple correlated projects.

Q.2 What is a more senior program manager or project manager?

Ans. Commonly, In most organizations, the program manager is more senior than the project manager. In others, both can be on the same level but have different tasks.

Q.3 Who makes more Program or project managers?

Ans. The salary for a program manager in India is around Rs. 20,59,756 per year, along with compensation. Furthermore, for a project manager in India, the annual salary ranges from  Rs. 17.2 lakhs.

Q.4 What are the various kinds of project management?

Ans. The different types of project management can be used according to the kind of business and depending on how your team works for example :

• Agile
• Waterfall
• Kanban
• Hybrid
• Scrum
• Lastly, Six Sigma

Q.5 Is there any additional certification for specialization as a program manager?

Ans. Certainly, A PgMP Certification course for advanced program management is a good option for program managers, who want to upskill themselves. 

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