Many of your peers and superiors may mix up, conflate, and confuse the roles of programme managers, product managers, and project managers. Despite their shared nomenclature, each position is very different from the others.
What are the differences?
Products are “going concerns” with users, who are frequently outside parties, to reduce pain points and enhance or make work completion easier. Programmes are also continuing entities that include numerous tracks and particular projects (although they frequently have a finish). Projects are distinct actions with predetermined beginning and ending locations.
Their job descriptions are very separate because each of these managerial responsibilities is different. A programme manager and a project manager both work to advance significant initiatives for their organisations, therefore there is a lot of overlap between the two.
Programme Management Scope
The focus of programme management, however, is far broader and rarely delves into the specifics of resource allocation and scheduling for individual projects (project managers are in charge of such aspects). Project managers frequently report to programme managers, who may have a staff available to deploy as needed to advance the programme.
Product management strategy
Product management, on the other hand, is a totally distinct field. Most of the time, product managers don’t worry about staffing projects or individual deliverable deadlines, and they frequently have little control over budgets.
They prioritise what is most crucial for the organisation and its strategic objectives, combining feedback from multiple stakeholders and users (and avoiding Gantt charts as much as they can). They give the product’s definition and justification for construction.
Why Do People Get Confused Between Product Management and Programme Management?
It can be really irritating for individuals who work in these fields that so many other clever people just can’t seem to get their facts straight. Although the duties of each profession vary greatly, the titles are frequently used interchangeably.
This perplexing phenomena could have a few different reasons. The names come first, which makes sense. In mixed companies, all three start with “pro” and are frequently abbreviated to “PM”. Given that context, it makes sense for someone to confuse them.
But there are other causes for confusion besides the titles themselves. For starters, none of the three “PM” versions have any traditional deliverables, unlike almost every other function in an organisation.
Programme, product, and project managers don’t negotiate contracts, write code, create website copy, create marketing materials, etc.
That lack of discrete output is a little unusual in the domains of product delivery and go-to-market. The presentations, timetables, roadmaps, and several other artefacts that those in these positions produce are almost entirely created to inform and align internal stakeholders rather than actual clients or users.
The three PMs each have supervision responsibilities. They coordinate meetings, schedule them, run them, and generally make sure that all the loose ends are tied up and that information is collected and shared. Things take place when they must.
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