The big difference is that product management is that an existing product that is in further development (after released into the market) this can be seen as business as usual compared to a project with a distinct target and project end. Saving Changes...
Product management is the management of a specific and define product for mass scale production. The methodology used may be custom specific for that particular products and its methodology may have aspects of a number of different methodologies. Project Management on the other hand follows a defined methodology for a project who's methodology can be used on other project such as waterfall and incremental.
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1 reply by Eduard Hernandez
Aug 05, 2019 6:48 AM
Eduard Hernandez
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Rather then methodologies, I would use the term framework. A methodology could be interpreted as following a predefined steps, like one could do when following a recipe to prepare a dish. Project and product management do not follow this approach. The framework provides a wide array processes, tools and techniques which can be used, but not a recpie.
Product Operations Program ManagerBarcelona, Cataluña, Spain
Aug 05, 2019 4:49 AM
Replying to Daire Guiney
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Product management is the management of a specific and define product for mass scale production. The methodology used may be custom specific for that particular products and its methodology may have aspects of a number of different methodologies. Project Management on the other hand follows a defined methodology for a project who's methodology can be used on other project such as waterfall and incremental.
Rather then methodologies, I would use the term framework. A methodology could be interpreted as following a predefined steps, like one could do when following a recipe to prepare a dish. Project and product management do not follow this approach. The framework provides a wide array processes, tools and techniques which can be used, but not a recpie. Saving Changes...
Cheikh FAYE Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Expert, CEO and owner| Eurêka TechnologiesDakar, Senegal
When a project is successfully achieved, the final result is a product or a service. Then product management differs from project management as it appears as a distinguished phase which begins after the project management itself. Saving Changes...
Quite different! There is the old saying that succinctly describes it: "The product manager is the CEO of his product". The product manager has a lot more than the current project to deal with. They have to know their market, the customer, their competition, and where the product should go in 1, 2, 5 years, or more. They have to assess feature requests, determine if they compliment the roadmap, and negotiate with the customers over features and delivery dates.
There's another saying from a friend who had many years of experience. "The product manager's job is to identify the weak spots on the team and shore them up." That's a true statement!
When I was a product manager, I did ideation, assessed feature viability, priority and profitability. I negotiated funding for projects. When the team was short a BA, I wrote specs. When QA was shorthanded, I tested the product. When I was short a tech writer, I wrote user guides, manuals, and marketing collateral. When I was short a launch manager, I launched the product. When a product reached its end-of-life, I sunset it and migrated users to the new product. When sales needed help closing deals, I met with the customer. When training was short-handed, I trained the end users. Months later I did ride-alongs with the end users to understand how they were doing.
It was very challenging and the most fun I've had at work. I hope that helps you understand the difference between the Product manager and project manager. Saving Changes...
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