The three “PM”s: Differentiating between Product, Project, and Program Management
How is each role defined?
A product manager directly influences the outcome of the product. This person generally uncovers opportunities via data - whether it be unmet customer needs or shortcomings in the existing product for the engineering team, hardware or software, to tackle.
A project manager directly influences the output of the process. This person creates system to prevent bottlenecks in a product development process. They track the status of progress on pre0established goals and report those updates.
A program manager directly influences the outcome of multiple projects. This person articulates a program’s strategy and objectives and assesses how it will impact a business. A program manager manages multiple large-scale projects tired to a specific higher-level objective, like a core company outcome or a big bet.
Project management can be a part of the product management role. But, product management is not a part of the project management role.
Core differences between product, project, and program managers
Measuring Success
- Product managers define and measure metrics for their products and experiments within their products and experiments within their products
- Program managers define and measure success of initiatives supporting a business outcome
- Project manager report on progress toward pre-established success metrics
Level of Autonomy
- Product = high autonomy
- Program = moderate autonomy
- Project - low autonomy
Proximity to Strategy
- Product Managers are responsible for product strategy.
Note: As a junior PM, you are more accountable to a strategy rather than responsible for one.
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Program managers are accountable for providing strategic direction for how to guide dependent projects within a program.
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Project managers are tactical and general don’t influence strategy.
Primary Stakeholders
- Product’s primary stakeholder is the customer
Ex. Product manager for Google for Education is responsible for feature optimizations and new product rollouts
- Product’s primary stakeholder is the customer
Ex. Program manager for Google for Education is responsible for go-to-market programs and establishing partnerships with schools
- Project’s primary stakeholders are highly variable given the temporary nature of and diversity of a project.
Shared Commonalities between program, product, and project management
- All are considered “operational” roles
- All enable the product development process with varying degrees of separation from the product itself
- As stake holders of the product, all are valuable to the success of a product development team
Product, project, and program share the need to collaborate across functions, communicate clearly and consistently, and create process that enable scale.
Differences between a project and a program:
| BASIS FOR COMPARISON | PROJECT | PROGRAM |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | A project refers to the temporary activity, which is undertaken to create a distinct product or service, that has certain objectives. | A program implies a set of projects which are linked to one another, in a sequential manner to attain the combined benefits. |
| Focus on | Content | Context |
| Time horizon | Short term | Long term |
| Concerned with | Specific deliverables, i.e. product or service | Benefits received |
| Functional units | Single | Multiple |
| Tasks | Technical in nature | Strategic in nature |
| Produces | Output | Outcome |
| Success | Success can be measured in terms of product quality, timeliness, cost effectiveness, compliance and degree of customer satisfaction | Success is measured by the extent to which program meets out the needs and benefits, for which it was conducted. |
Summary
- Product managers are responsible for directly improving and contributing to the product. Program and project managers are tangential to the product and influence initiatives and processes that help to scale the product or the KPI that the product directly impacts.
- Program managements is more similar to product management than project management. As a career transitioner, the logical stepping stone to reach a product role would be project management –> program management –> product management.
- Generally speaking, project managers have the lease range of motion around the product and are still critical roles that enable the business to operate successfully.
Caveat: A project manager can manage multiple projects and not be a program manager. These definitions don’t align with the Microsoft definition of a program manager. Lastly, this assessment is based on an interpretation of job descriptions and conversations with peers in these roles.