Differences between program manager role in service based vs product based company

Program Management role differs a lot between service and product based companies. To our surprise, many people are yet unaware of the differences. In this article, you will find a high level summary of differences. These differences holds good to 90% of the organisations. You may find some variances depending on the size and age of the organisation and its PMO. Off course this is covered in depth in the only Practical Program Management course in the world Post Graduate certificate in Program Management Below is the hierarchy differences between Program Manager role in service and product based companies. As you can see, Program manager role in Service based companies is a people manager, more or less like Delivery Manager.

Responsibilities / Activities	Service Based Company	Product Based Company
PEOPLE MANAGEMENT	People Management responsibilities are present. Typical reportees are project managers, team leads, architects etc.	Individual contributor role. Principal / Director program managers have reporting of program managers
PROJECT MANAGEMENT INVOLVEMENT	Being the Manager of project managers direct Project Management responsibilities are limited.	Drives the projects
DELIVERY OWNERSHIP	Being the Manager of project managers direct delivery responsibilities are limited. As the ownership is with the respective Project Managers	Owns the project delivery
ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT	Yes	No
BUSINESS GROWTH	Yes	No
DRIVES COMPLEX PROJECTS?	No	Yes
HANDS ON ROLE?	No	Yes
AVERAGE SALARY FACTOR	1.5 times the experience	3 times the experience (2X of service based companies)
EXPENDABLE ROLE?	Yes, Mostly non billable and adds less value	No, Program Managers contribution is quite significant in Product Based companies.

Abhishek Sharma

Leave a Replay

Most Popular

All About the Role of Technical Program Manager

Head-to-head comparison of leading Post Graduate Program Management Courses in India

Project Scope Management – How to Define and Control What’s Included

Creating a Project Budget – A Complete Guide

Project Management – Scope Scenario-based Interview Questions and Answers

Subscribe To Our Weekly Newsletter

No spam, notifications only about new products, updates.

PMP vs PgMP vs Post Graduate certificate in Program Management

How Has This Comparison Been Done?To help you get better value for your investment, we have researched the major Project and Program Management certification offerings in India, studied their brochures, and comprehensively analyzed their offerings. 15+ key factors compared head to headIncludes Learning formats, Course duration, Key features of the

Scrum Master Salary in India in 2022 [For Freshers & Experienced]

So what do you think is the range of scrum master salary in india? Though a fairly new term in comparison to Project Manager, Scrum master is known to many in the IT world. The contribution of the Scrum framework to the software development field is for everyone to see.

Myths and Facts about Agile

Is Agile only for Developers and Project Managers?No, it isn’t. Agile is for anyone and for everyone. There are people from different roles, countries, regions, industries, etc. applying Agile in their projects. Does Agile equate to Scrum? Are they equal or the same thing?Technically no, in reality, yes. Allow me

Navigating the PMI Certification Maze Choosing the Right Path for Your Career

Project management is a critical aspect of many organizations, and PMI certifications are widely recognized as the standard for project management professionals. The Project Management Institute (PMI) offers various certifications to identify project management professionals’ skills and knowledge. These certifications are essential for career advancement and ensuring that project managers