In most organizations, managing work isn’t just about keeping track of tasks—it’s about understanding the bigger picture. People often confuse the different layers of management, but there’s a clear difference between projects, programs, portfolios, and operations.
A project manager is focused on one specific project. They handle the tasks, schedules, and day-to-day details that make the project happen. A program manager looks at several related projects, making sure they work together, don’t overlap, and support the same goal. Then you have portfolio managers, who take a step back and oversee multiple programs. They make sure the company’s bigger strategy is on track and that resources are allocated effectively.
Imagine a company launching a new product. The project manager is making sure the marketing campaign, website launch, or prototype development gets done on time. The program manager ensures all these projects complement each other, avoiding conflicts. The portfolio manager asks questions like: “Does this make sense for the company right now? Is it helping achieve our strategic goals?”
How They Work Together
All three roles—project, program, and portfolio managers—need to understand each other. If they don’t, projects can get delayed, budgets can blow up, and teams can get frustrated.
Here’s an easy way to think about it:
- Projects are the individual building blocks, like completing a single task or creating a report.
- Programs group related projects together, like launching an entire marketing campaign with multiple parts.
- Portfolios are the highest level—they look at all the programs and projects and make sure everything aligns with long-term goals.
When these roles work well together, organizations run smoothly. Miscommunication, on the other hand, can create wasted effort or even failure before a project really starts.
If you’re thinking about a career in management, it helps to understand each layer. Learning the skills for project, program, and portfolio management makes you more versatile and valuable. Some people even pursue a master’s in project management to sharpen their skills and increase their chances of promotion or higher pay.
Projects vs. Operations
It’s common to confuse project management with operations management, but they are quite different.
- Projects are temporary. Their goal is to create something unique—a new product, service, or outcome. Once the project is completed, it ends.
- Operations are ongoing. They include daily tasks that keep a business running, such as producing goods, handling customer service, or maintaining systems and processes.
In short, a project manager focuses on a temporary goal, while an operations manager ensures things run smoothly every day.
Roles and Responsibilities
Project Managers
Project managers are responsible for:
- Leading teams and delegating work
- Planning and defining the project’s scope
- Overseeing execution and ensuring deadlines are met
- Tracking budgets and expenses
- Monitoring progress and reporting to stakeholders
In essence, project managers make sure a project gets done on time and correctly.
Operations Managers
Operations managers focus on the ongoing side of business. Their responsibilities include:
- Supervising daily operations
- Solving problems and spotting opportunities for improvement
- Handling budgets, audits, and reports
- Ensuring regulatory compliance
- Developing and enforcing operational policies
The main difference is that project managers finish a project and move on, while operations managers maintain consistency over time.
Job Growth and Salary
As with any profession, salary varies substantially depending on a number of factors, such as how much experience you have, where in the country you are employed, and the industry that you work in.
On average:
- Project managers typically earn between $47,000 and $110,000 annually, with the national average salary falling at $72,675 per year.
- Operations managers can earn between $40,000 and $100,000 per year depending on their location and the industry in which they work. The national average salary for operations managers across all industries is $63,925 annually.
Project managers are compensated well for the crucial role they play in meeting business objectives. As project managers move through their careers, their skills become more developed with each project that is completed. Experienced project managers are highly sought after and are often offered higher wages in return for their expertise. Like project management professionals, operations managers can expect their compensation to increase as they gain more experience and fine-tune their skills throughout their careers.
The demand for skilled project managers is on the rise as various industries are realizing the value that these professionals bring to organizations. PMI projects that more than 2.2 million project management jobs will be added to the workforce annually through 2027. With more businesses than ever before looking to add project managers to their teams, it is an opportune time to enter the growing field.
Data from the Bureau of Labour Statistics shows that job opportunities for general and operations managers are expected to increase at a rate of seven percent from 2014-2024, which is about average in comparison to all other occupations in the United States.
Important Skills
In order to be effective, project managers and operations managers must both have certain essential skills. While the list below is by no means exhaustive, it accurately reflects the skills that are necessary for both positions:
- Effective communication between team members, key stakeholders, vendors, and everyone else involved in a project or operation
- Time management to keep tasks and activities on track and according to schedule
- Leadership skills to effectively manage a team and offer coaching or motivation when required
- Organizational acumen to keep track of all of the various complex moving pieces involved in a project or ongoing operations of a business
- Problem-solving and adaptability required to be flexible and make adjustments as necessary
- Technical expertise in your specific domain or industry, to help anticipate problems and solutions before they occur
Although the skills required for each of these positions are similar and overlap, the application of these skills is where the differences lie. It is also important to remember the skills required for a specific role will naturally depend on the industry and business in which a project or operations manager is working.
