How is product management different from project management?

Utkarsh Gupta
5 replies
PMs in many companies are confused between these two worlds. What's your take on this?

Replies

Pavel Kukhnavets
Project management and product management are two distinct disciplines with different approaches, goals, and responsibilities. First of all, project management focuses on the delivery of a specific project, while product management focuses on the entire life cycle of a product. Project managers are responsible for delivering a specific outcome within a defined timeline and budget. Product managers are responsible for the overall success of a product. However, both areas require professional management tools for success. GanttPRO, Trello, or Asana look good for both the project manager's and product manager's needs. For example, here're the details about GanttPRO - https://ganttpro.com/.
Bhaskar Pratim
A product manager is like a gardener, nurturing and guiding a product from seed to bloom, making sure it grows to be beautiful, strong, and profitable. Meanwhile, a project manager is like a wedding planner, coordinating all the moving parts to ensure a successful and beautiful event, but once the "I do's" are said and done, the wedding is over and it's time to plan the next one.
Harley coates
Product management focuses on the development and lifecycle of a specific product, from ideation to market launch and ongoing improvement. Project management, on the other hand, focuses on planning, organizing, and executing a specific set of tasks to deliver a specific result or product within a defined timeline and budget.
Utkarsh Gupta
@harley_coates Well said! In your opinion, for an early stage company, what and who is more important?
Aviel Kogan
I think that first of all a Product Manager should be an enterprenuer in his soul. That's what differentiates product management from project management.