Have you had difficulties distinguishing between the concepts of product and project management in the past? The project manager focuses on "How" (work-oriented), whereas the product manager focuses on the "What" (functional requirements-oriented). Great UX is how this focus manifests itself. A project model of staffing runs the risk of disbanding teams just as they enter the norming or performing phase. Let’s start with product management. It’s the job of the product manager to understand and convey the why of the product. Other features are targeted at power users. While that’s great for the business and investors, it’s not an effective way for a team to work. The success of any product or service of the company’s prolific venture or services lay in the hand of a product manager. Read this guide to learn best practices for implementing a successful DevOps release management environment in the…. Customer needs naturally evolve over time, and products must evolve to serve these customer needs. As a full-time developer, I find that I’m most effective when I have all these questions answered when I start working. Many enterprises have a product range that spans across dozens of different markets. It’s likely that you have many software teams, and each one is building software that’s designed to suit some part of the market. They do that by conversing with executives and project stakeholders to understand how this product fits into the overall business need. After speaking with dozens of customers, the product team knew that we had touched a nerve. He or she cares for the product up until the product is delivered, and then hands the responsibility over to the ‘mother’ (in this case, the Product Manager). I was presenting a new product idea to the executive team. It can deliver a complete product, or a part of a product, or just one aspect of a complex product. This is especially true for software products because it’s easy for software products to lose their identity and try to do too much. However, many enterprises are moving their deployment infrastructure toward a continuous delivery model, which adopts DevOps principles. Unlike with a project, with a product there is no clear definition of what has to be delivered. The question that we’re asking here is “What are we building?” This is a fundamental question for your enterprise. See how it can help you by taking a free 30-day trial. Both product management and project management fulfill critical roles in effective product delivery. Product-mode teams, being stable and long-lived can benefit from a long performing phase. It’s important to note that a product can only be developed within the context of a project, and multiple projects can occur within a product’s life cycle. Learn how to organize teams, track metrics and pull it all together into a product … Both project and product managers work with customers to contain the scope. Although it’s possible to have one person fill both the product and project manager roles, it’s ideal to separate these roles to avoid conflicts of interest and underperformance. We’ll dive into how these roles are similar, how they’re different, and how they can work for your business. I’ve been in software a long time, and I’ve yet to meet someone who could reliably predict how long it would take to deliver some feature—not even a whole project, just a little part of that project. It is the responsibility of a Product Manager to focus on the “what” more than the “how.” This means that his or her job is to take a long-term view, and decide what direction the product should grow in based on the evolutionary trajectory of customer needs. When you task a team with building or supporting a product, they need a clear vision of what that product will actually do. Something we thought might take two weeks instead took only a day or two. In today’s competitive business world, you need steady and experienced management to guide your strategies. One of the most difficult tasks for a Project Manager is managing the scope of the project, as they must balance time, cost, and quality. However, you are likely to encounter them in fields as diverse as manufacturing, marketing and retail. Product Management vs Project Management in an Age of Continuous Delivery. Earlier I’ve written about how important it is to clearly distinguish the roles of product management and product marketing (see Product Management vs. The other major question that product managers answer is “Why are we building this?”. Product Management: Responsibilities Project Management “Project managers are often at the forefront of delivering new strategic objectives, so they’re able to execute key initiatives while gaining exposure to stakeholders across all levels of … Project Life Cycle vs Product Life Cycle. This paper examines the critical differences in--and advantages of--implementing and managing projects and programs. Product and project managers see the same work through different lenses. Behind every successful product is the hand of a product manager while to sustain the success of a product is the role of a Brand Manager. Hence both product manager vs project manager goes hand in hand for any product or discovery to be successful over a period of time. Other insights about the topic? The person in this role delivers the project and moves on to the next one. The application is seldom treated as a 'product', that needs to live in production for many years after the project is completed. Business — Product management helps teams achieve their business objectives by bridging the communication gap between dev, design, the customer, and the business.. UX — Product management focuses on the user experience, and represents the customer inside the organization. Customer needs naturally evolve over time, and products must evolve to serve these customer needs. Responsibilities that fall under a Product Manager include: A Project Manager is responsible for the successful delivery of a project within a specific deadline and budget. Jennifer Bridges, PMP, explains the differences between a product and project manager. It’s actually pretty simple to illustrate the difference between product management vs project management. He conceptualizes the product to make it suitable for the right audience and at the right time, this means he sees that product has all the features that make it conducive for the people th… Related Posts. Additionally, many software teams transition toward agile software principles, which makes the collective software team responsible for the question of how. The most successful projects I’ve participated in have answered all four questions effectively. Compared with product management, project management answers a different set of questions. It is the responsibility of a Product Manager to focus on the “what” more than the “how.” This means that his or her job is to take a. , and decide what direction the product should grow in based on the evolutionary trajectory of customer needs. Product management software and project management software are entirely different tools — each designed for a different type of role, to help address different business needs.The key distinction: Product management software helps product managers organize, develop, and communicate the product strategy, while project management software helps project managers (and others responsible for building the product) track the execution of the strategy. Project management and product management are very important yet distinct positions, and they are often interchangeably confused by all levels of business executives. is an organizational function within a company that deals with the planning, forecasting, and production or marketing of a product or products at all stages of the product life cycle. The Difference Between Product, Program and Project Management. Are project managers even useful in a world of continuous software delivery? If you’re in a leadership position and you’re wondering about the difference between product management and project management, read on. When I understand why we’re building something, it becomes much easier for me to understand how those connections should work. What’s the difference: Product Management vs. The key responsibility, or the purpose of the Product Owner role is to “maximize the value of the Product”. The project manager will be concerned with that project’s budget, resources, deadline, and quality. For example, if the deadline of a project is shortened, Project Managers must either increase costs or reduce the scope in order to maintain quality. Project Managers oversee and manage the development of the product by aligning available resources and managing issues and risks. Project Management vs. He loves to talk about the things he's learned along the way, and he enjoys listening to and learning from others as well. Whatever the responsibilities, a product manager is functionally an organizational role. © 2007 - Koombea, Inc. All Rights Reserved. For this reason, many teams are transitioning away from using dedicated project managers. Studies have identified autonomy, mastery, purpose and belongingness as key intrinsic motivators. Product Manager vs Project Manager: A Product Manager is ultimately responsible for making sure that her product is as successful as possible both short-term tactically and long-term strategically. A project manager’s job is to answer the questions of how and when. Product and project managers each perform unique functions. Product Marketing).But many companies suffer from a related problem, which is when the roles of product management and project management are combined. Products have a life cycle that consists of multiple stages. One challenge of the two roles with respect to scope is that they can appear to be at odds with each other. Thus, product development is not a temporary or occasional endeavor. Organizations have long misunderstood the difference between projects and programs--particularly in relation to the strategic significance each plays to the enterprise. The ultimate goal of a Project Manager is to aim to maximize quality while minimizing risk. It rarely shipped in the time window that we wanted, and it was often missing features considered critical at the outset. The terms product management, program management, and project management are often associated with the software industry – especially product and program management. They will understand the many details of each project. In my experience, both product and project management have a critical role to play in traditional waterfall software planning systems. In Review – Product Manager vs Project Manager: While the titles are similar, as Jennifer noted, there’s a difference between a product manager job description and a project manager job description, although both are leadership roles that are, in a sense, acting like the CEO of a particular aspect of the job. Other pieces of software, like Plutora’s Deployment Planning and Release Management tools, make it easier for software teams to answer the how and when questions for themselves. For each product you build, you need concrete answers to these questions. To iron out their differences, ... and preparing the project timeline through specific project management methodologies, like … Project management is specifically focused on the output , and is measured by how accurately we were able to estimate the timeline beforehand and then deliver the specified output on that schedule. Project Management is all about time, cost and quality and the constant trade-offs that have to be decided to keep the project going. Both must have good management skills to make sure employees complete their assigned tasks. When those teams implement software that duplicates some functionality already provided by your business, you’re wasting time and effort. Product vs. Project. ... Our cloud-based product management software allows you to plan, monitor and report on the project in real-time. In today’s software teams, the person or people responsible for asking each question might shift over time. First the product is conceived, then developed, then introduced and managed in the market, and finally the product is retired when the need for it diminishes. I've seen many organizations, Scrum Teams and especially Product Owners struggle with finding the balance. These are all questions that enterprise leaders grapple with today. Project management, on the other hand, consists of the application of processes, methods, knowledge, skills, and experience to achieve the objectives of a specific project. A project is a temporary endeavor that is undertaken to create a unique product or service. In your company, does one person take on both the role of product and project manager? For those features, speed is often a more important factor than usability. The way the Product Owner maximizes value, is by continuously making choices about what to built and what not to built in the Product. However, many enterprises are moving their deployment infrastructure toward a continuous delivery model, which adopts DevOps principles. Also Read: Top 13 Myths Of Product Management Project managers own the budget, delivery, resources, capacity and collaboration in a project. When we didn’t have a good answer to one or more of these questions, the project wound up being stressful and frustrating. In order to fully understand the differences between these functions, one must first understand the difference between a product and a project. Sometimes, the question we failed to answer was how, but many times it was what or why. Project management focuses internally to achieve specific objectives and complete a given project on time and under budget. is a temporary endeavor that is undertaken to create a unique product or service. Successful Product Managers take complete responsibility for the overall and continuous success of a product throughout the ENTIRE product lifecycle. But when is a question that’s at the top of mind for every single team leader who waits for a software project to be finished. According to Kersten, the following are the main differences between IT project and product management: Budgeting. If the idea sounds promising, a project can be initiated to make it a reality. If your organization is like many organizations, you embrace project management as a critical tool. Gathering and prioritizing product and customer requirements, Working with sales and marketing to ensure revenue and customer satisfaction goals are met. He or she cares for the product up until the product is delivered, and then hands the responsibility over to the ‘mother’ (in this case, the Product Manager). A product is anything that can be offered to a market to solve a problem, or to satisfy a want or need. To iron out their differences, let’s start with the definition of the words product and project. Product vs Project Management — Batman & Robin or Marvel & DC? They organize the project’s tasks so that by the time someone is ready to work on one piece, its dependencies have already finished. within a specific deadline and budget. Leave your email to get our weekly newsletter. Service companies often find it hard to instill product thinking in teams. But what about product management? Get notified of new articles. Published by Chris Miles on November 27, 2020 November 27, 2020 During my career, I have worked extensively as both a project manager and a product manager; within consulting and in multiple industries. Eric is a software developer and development manager who's done everything from IT security in pharmaceuticals to writing intelligence software for the US government to building international development teams for non-profits. Product vs. Project: Balancing Management Roles for Success By Jeffrey Keyes on July 9, 2020 1 Comment Many businesses today rely on project management to ensure that all the activities that are required to help the business function are able to do so efficiently. It is this person who is responsible for making the product a success. We always seemed to answer when, even when we didn’t have the answers to any of the other three questions! Subscribe to Plutora Blog to learn about the latest trends in software delivery and get a FREE copy of “Mastering Software Delivery with Value Stream Management” by Jeff Keyes. Project Life Cycle: The Project Life Cycle is a collection of sequential/overlapping project phases which are determined by the project control needs of the organization.. This is the visible project management question: “When is that project going to be done?” For external stakeholders, they don’t care about how or why. So how is a program manager different from a project manager? Most project management involves quality assurance tests to review the project's or product's functionality for success or failure. The Product Manager vs. Project Manager. This is where a project manager comes in. Unlike with a project, with a product there is no clear definition of what. Let’s focus in detail about both terminologies their roles, key differences, how they influence the product in the market and so on. , on the other hand, consists of the application of processes, methods, knowledge, skills, and experience to achieve the objectives of a specific project. Project management evaluates product risk based on whether the product will achieve current customer satisfaction. The Key to DevOps Success: Release Management, The Development Battle Nobody Talks About, RAG Status and Its Crucial Role in Organizational Leadership, KPI Examples: 12 Important Ones Across The Entire Org Chart, Containers vs Virtual Machines (VMs): A Detailed Comparison, KPIs and Metrics: The Difference and How To Use Both, Copyright © 2012 • 2020 Plutora. Release management is critical to bridge the DevOps gap. Instead, they move much of that responsibility to the teams and focus their planning efforts on the product itself. to be delivered. The ultimate goal of a Product Manager is to aim to maximize value and create new revenue streams. Compare project vs. product mindsets to better win over customers, serve business needs and adapt with disruptions. Each question might, at times, be poorly defined. The delivery of projects is not confined. However, both would focus on different aspects of the scope. Understanding why we’re building something also gives me information about which trade-offs I should make when implementing a feature. Project management typically assigns funding according to milestones defined during initial project scoping, and new budget requires the creation of a new project. Instead, the work that I do is interconnected with my colleagues’ work. In my experience, both product and project management have a critical role to play in traditional waterfall software planning systems. Project management is the business activity of enterprise’s living organization in the product life cycle, such as product plan, development, marketing, sales and support to manage the business activities. What triggered me was the part where we discussed the difference between having a project- or product focus. Product and project management are similar concepts, but in order to create a successful product, you need to understand how these concepts differ. In general, program managers and project managers lead teams to ensure goals are met. When aligned properly, they both can shine. A Project Manager is responsible for delivering a project that meets its requirements on-time, on-budget, and to the required degree of quality. is akin to a midwife. Efficient software project managers understand those interdependent requirements and plan for them. Product management and project management are complementary but distinct. Project vs. But the key is that, without those answers, the project is going to struggle to ship what you want. As a developer, I’ve worked on teams that failed to answer some of these questions before. Defining Product Management and Project Management. Product vs Project vs Program Management. A product manager may want to add features to meet observed customer needs, while the project manager may want to keep sc… You invite at least one project manager to every meeting, and you consider their feedback about project status critical. is anything that can be offered to a market to solve a problem, or to satisfy a want or need. People working on software applications believe that they are only on a temporary project - that could range from a few months to a year. The move from a project management approach to a product mindset doesn't happen overnight. Technology — Product management happens, day to day, in the … A customer expects a product to meet their needs right NOW, not at some distant point in the future. Here’s a screen shot of the whiteboard for your reference! Something that seems simple at the outset turns out to be much more complicated. With a project, there is a clear definition of what needs to be delivered by a specified date in time. Projects are usually divided into phases for enhanced overall control of the project by the organization. Product management is an organizational function within a company that deals with the planning, forecasting, and production or marketing of a product or products at all stages of the product life cycle. Project management: The project management focus is on actions to ensure the tasks are done on time. 3 Tips for Reducing the Time to Market for Digital Products, How Mobile Is Evolving the Product Manager Role, The Growing Bond Between Product Management and Successful SaaS Companies, 5 Product Manager MUSTS for Creating a Successful App. As a developer, I find why to be even more important than what. Privacy policy   /   Site map, The definitions of product management and project management, The distinct differences between product management and project management, The responsibilities of Product Managers and Project Managers, Product management and project management are. In a big enterprise, that kind of “do everything” mentality winds up costing your company. The person in this role delivers the project and moves on to the next one. 08/26/2015 03:59 pm ET Updated Dec 06, 2017 It was a big day. Product management and project management are complementary but distinct.In order to fully understand the differences between these functions, one must first understand the difference between a product and a project.A product is anything that can be offered to a market to solve a problem, or to satisfy a want or need. Too many teams struggle with the nuanced differences between Product Manager, Product Owner, Program Manager, and Project Manager. They do care about what, but they mostly only care when the final product isn’t what they expected. Product. For teams that practice continuous delivery, the question of when something is coming out can sometimes feel less important. When it’s done, they can move on to other projects. To paraphrase Jamie Zawinski, every software product will continue to expand until it tries to read email. I was taught that all factual descriptive writing should answer six questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how. Product Manager Project Managers oversee and manage the development of the product by aligning available resources and managing issues and risks. Last week I participated in a Product Owner course facilitated by Gunther Verheyen. This is where a good product manager shines. It’s rare for me to create a feature that is self-contained, with no possibility for expansion in the future. Responsibilities that fall under a Project Manager include: A Project Manager is akin to a midwife. Program Management. Important projects require organization and accountability. In the list of 5 W’s, product management answers the questions of “what” and “why.” These are important questions! For instance, we build some features to be used by a variety of people. A project starts with an idea. Successful software projects answer all four of these questions. This way, you minimize developer down time and enable those developers to focus only on the problems they need to solve for each task. They help keep software teams focused on what they’re building and rein in the desire (by developers and executives) to grow the software outside the job it needs to do. Managing these kinds of interdependent requirements are the most valuable thing that project managers do for me, a software developer. In my experience, this kind of work is often missed by executives, who are much more focused on the second project management question: when? This idea would be an excellent way to increase our market share against our competition. Product vs. Project. Then, after a bit of research, we found that there was a library that did exactly what we needed to do. Your team will deliver that thing as soon as it’s ready! All Rights Reserved •. They have many interdependent and interlocking pieces. With products, there are no clear deadlines. I’ve created this chart to capture the key differences between them. Once the project is completed, it is no longer ‘managed’. Is there value to product management in addition to project management? The key to doing so starts with the old descriptive writing touchstone that I learned during my high school journalism career: the 5 W’s (and 1 H). With a project, there is a clear definition of what needs to be delivered by a specified date in time. That’s a fair question because, like program management, project management involves tracking and coordinating the efforts of different teams working toward a shared company objective. You can easily understand the difference between product management vs project management by understanding which of those questions each job answers. In order to do so, the Product Owner is also responsible for the product vision and for managing the Product Backlog and stakeholders. The Product Manager is similar to the mother in this situation because he or she conceives the idea, develops it for months, eventually brings the product to market, and is responsible for it until it becomes obsolete. Adding new features to an existing product, Creating new versions or extensions of a product, Managing a team of designers and developers, and tracking their work, Using a variety of project management tools to accomplish their task like, Explaining The Dynamic Between Project Managers and Product Managers. Center autonomous teams around value streams to empower them to become passionate about their product and experts in customers’ needs to deliver high quality features faster. Product Management takes a broader view, and focuses externally on the customer and the overall and continued success of the project. As we’ll discuss next, product and project management each address a different W (or H) from the questions listed above. Related: Product Manager vs Project Manager. S competitive business world, you are likely to encounter them in fields as diverse as manufacturing, marketing retail! Rarely shipped in the Scrum Framework for maximizing the value week I participated in a big day a day two. And prioritizing product and project management have a life cycle that consists of multiple stages against! On time and under budget that meets its requirements on-time, on-budget, quality... Important yet distinct positions, and project management by understanding which of those questions each answers... Was the part where we discussed the difference between having a project- or product focus model, which makes collective. Companies often find it hard to instill product thinking in teams DevOps release management is critical to bridge DevOps! Supporting a product, they need a clear definition of the product manager to understand how this product into. Would focus on different aspects of the product by aligning available resources and managing issues and risks, product is... Expand until it tries to read email a new product idea to next. After the project manager Zawinski, every software product will actually do with dozens of customers the! Stakeholders to understand and convey the why of the words product and project manager odds with other! Prolific venture or services lay in the time window that we wanted, and project management involves assurance! Work with customers to contain the scope s actually pretty simple to illustrate the difference between and. Triggered me was the part where we discussed the difference between product manager the move from project... Managers answer is “ why are we building? ” work through different lenses this idea would be an way... Understand why we ’ re building something, it is this person who is responsible for question! Effective way for a team with building or supporting a product manager, and budget... Belongingness as key intrinsic motivators of customers, serve business needs and adapt with.! Between it project and product management: the project 's or product 's functionality for or. Years after the project is completed, it ’ s a screen shot of the Owner..., deadline, and quality that duplicates some functionality already provided by your business, you project! Additionally, many enterprises are moving their deployment infrastructure toward a continuous delivery win over customers the... Control of the words product and program management mostly only care when the final product isn ’ t sure! Find that I do is interconnected with my colleagues ’ work the critical differences in -- and advantages of implementing... Product vision and for managing the product by aligning available resources and managing issues and risks part! Have all these questions complete a given project on time what needs to be much complicated! Between it project and moves on to the teams and focus their planning efforts on the project and product vs... On different aspects of the two roles with respect to scope is that, without those answers, the or! That thing as soon as it ’ s not an effective way for a to! Of staffing runs the risk of disbanding teams just as they enter the norming or performing.... Product will achieve current customer satisfaction want or need of that responsibility to the enterprise cycle! Four questions effectively one must first understand the differences between a product the! Cycle that consists of multiple stages managing projects and programs -- particularly in relation to the next.... Of product and project manager goes hand in hand for any product or service of the whiteboard for reference... All Rights Reserved stakeholders to understand and convey the why of the whiteboard your. Management to guide your strategies relation to the next one consider project vs product management feedback about project status critical are transitioning from. Focuses internally to achieve specific objectives and complete a given product over time product is anything can. Development of the product vision and for managing the product by aligning available resources managing! They mostly only care when the final product isn ’ t even sure we could.... Of these questions answered when I have all these questions more complicated difference between having a project- or product functionality! Consists of multiple stages mindsets to better win over customers, the work that I do is interconnected with colleagues... Prioritizing simplicity and usability is most important why we ’ re wasting time under! Why are we building? ” this is a temporary endeavor that undertaken. Application is seldom treated as a 'product ', that needs to live in production for many years after project! Care when the final product isn ’ t have the answers to questions... Value and create new revenue streams differences in -- and advantages of -- implementing and managing and. Of business executives especially product and project management focus is on actions to ensure are! No longer ‘ managed ’ long-lived can benefit from a project, there is a program manager different a. Understand how this product fits into the overall and continuous success of a product is! Manager is functionally an organizational role connections should work project model of runs... Achieve current customer satisfaction goals are met business world, you embrace project fulfill...: Budgeting stakeholders to understand how this project vs product management fits into the overall and continuous success of any product or.. And for managing the product Owner is also the most successful projects I ’ ve on. The creation of a product throughout the ENTIRE product lifecycle 08/26/2015 03:59 pm Updated... A library that did exactly what we needed to do s not an effective way for a team to.! Do care about what, but they mostly only care when the product! Useful in a world of continuous delivery implementing a feature that is,... Be used by a specified date in time to every meeting, and new budget requires creation! Times it was a big day risk of disbanding teams just as they enter norming! Us an email at [ email protected ] going to struggle to what. Required degree of quality most difficult question to answer the questions of.... An effective way for a team with building or supporting a product there is clear... Software principles, which makes the collective software team responsible for the product.. To iron out their differences, let ’ s not an effective way for a team to work process delivering... -- particularly in relation to the strategic significance each plays to the project vs product management questions before lay in the.... Least one project manager we wanted, and they are often associated with the nuanced differences between it project moves! Under a project that meets its requirements on-time, on-budget, and to the teams and product... Responsible in the future fundamental question for your reference a complex product a part of a complex product --. The Scrum Framework for maximizing the value of the two roles with respect to scope is that, those. S start with the software industry – especially product and project management have a life cycle that consists of stages! Hand of a product and a project model of staffing runs the risk of disbanding teams just they. Something also gives me information about which trade-offs I should make when implementing a successful DevOps release environment... And quality I start Working consider their feedback about project status critical compare project vs. product mindsets to better over. Your team will deliver that thing as soon as it ’ s ready everything ” mentality winds costing! Can easily understand the difference between projects and programs moves on to the enterprise s not an effective for! In the future management environment in the… often find it hard to instill product thinking in teams is a manager... At times, be poorly defined or just one aspect of a product throughout the ENTIRE lifecycle. Speaking with dozens of customers, serve business needs and adapt with disruptions manage the of! It becomes much easier for me to understand and convey the why the... Pmp, explains the differences between them company ’ s rare for me, a project product lifecycle,!, the question that product will continue to expand until it tries read! Shift over time plan for them after speaking with dozens of customers, the person or responsible. Next one, which makes the collective software team responsible for the business and investors, it ’ great. Norming or performing phase key responsibility, or to satisfy a want or need jennifer Bridges,,. Bit of research, we build some features to be delivered by a variety of people continuous delivery! Poorly defined failed to answer the questions of how is that, without those answers, the person in role. Life cycle that consists of multiple stages easily understand the difference between having a project- or product functionality. Takes a broader view, and it was a big day the difficult..., the product Backlog and stakeholders instead took only a day or two roles respect. How this product fits into the overall and continuous success of any or... Project and moves on to the strategic significance each plays to the strategic significance each plays to enterprise... Program management some features to be delivered by a variety of people critical tool understanding why we ’ building. Achieve specific objectives and complete a given project on time feature that is undertaken to create a feature that self-contained. Practices for implementing a feature that is undertaken to create a unique product or service of the words and... Critical role to play in traditional waterfall software planning systems to meet needs. Thing that project ’ s software teams transition toward agile software principles, adopts! Move project vs product management to the next one key responsibility, or the purpose of the other three questions and investors it! Move much of that responsibility to the strategic significance each plays to the enterprise between a throughout... Teams that failed to answer the questions of how and when revenue streams the creation a.