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Application manager vs program/project manager

The differences between application managers and program/project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an application manager has an average salary of $122,748, which is higher than the $101,850 average annual salary of a program/project manager.

The top three skills for an application manager include customer service, project management and application development. The most important skills for a program/project manager are project management, program management, and PMP.

Application manager vs program/project manager overview

Application ManagerProgram/Project Manager
Yearly salary$122,748$101,850
Hourly rate$59.01$48.97
Growth rate16%16%
Number of jobs125,760243,017
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age4747
Years of experience8-

What does an application manager do?

An application manager is in charge of overseeing software applications and systems within a company, ensuring efficiency and quality. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around conducting research and analysis to identify company needs, assessing existing applications to determine their strengths and weaknesses, and implementing solutions to optimize the quality of services. They may also conduct regular maintenance checks to ensure the efficiency of applications, performing corrective measures when necessary. Furthermore, as an application manager, it is essential to coordinate with the information technology staff, encouraging them to reach goals and new heights.

What does a program/project manager do?

The program manager and project manager are two important positions within a company that are thought to be similar. However, program managers direct diverse projects and programs while project managers head the team who is responsible for ensuring a project is completed on time and within budget. Program managers are responsible for the conveyance of the company goals and generally act as a customer interface that helps clients get their desired update and change of a project. Project managers, on the other hand, focus on the project's schedule, scope, and resources needed to complete it on time.

Application manager vs program/project manager salary

Application managers and program/project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Application ManagerProgram/Project Manager
Average salary$122,748$101,850
Salary rangeBetween $93,000 And $160,000Between $74,000 And $138,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyRokuMeta
Best paying industryFinanceProfessional

Differences between application manager and program/project manager education

There are a few differences between an application manager and a program/project manager in terms of educational background:

Application ManagerProgram/Project Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 68%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeCarnegie Mellon UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Application manager vs program/project manager demographics

Here are the differences between application managers' and program/project managers' demographics:

Application ManagerProgram/Project Manager
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 71.1% Female, 28.9%Male, 62.0% Female, 38.0%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 13.5% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage11%10%

Differences between application manager and program/project manager duties and responsibilities

Application manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage the migration of all EDI infrastructures to a new ERP system on time and on budget.
  • Manage development and QA teams prior to releases; organize UAT test cycles with various business groups.
  • Manage organizational change via the PMO department
  • Manage separation of companies to individual ERP environments.
  • Manage methodologies to support Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) application requirements.
  • Lead design of POS replenishment process and software design/implementation to significantly increase retail sales.
  • Show more

Program/project manager example responsibilities.

  • Plan and manage infrastructure installations and enterprise hardware and software upgrades of classify systems while balancing resources to manage troubleshooting/maintenance actions.
  • Facilitate daily scrum meetings and collaborate with product owners to prioritize and manage backlog.
  • Utilize SharePoint, the company's document repository engine to manage access and documentation reviews.
  • Manage, monitors and measures project portfolio status, recommending corrective action as necessary and communicate portfolio status to their management.
  • Promote to positions base on demonstrate skills in business analysis, project management, portfolio management and customer relationship management.
  • Provide program and project management support for applications and infrastructure systems monitoring as well as enhancements and maintenance of existing systems.
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Application manager vs program/project manager skills

Common application manager skills
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Project Management, 10%
  • Application Development, 5%
  • Architecture, 4%
  • Infrastructure, 4%
  • Software Development, 4%
Common program/project manager skills
  • Project Management, 18%
  • Program Management, 7%
  • PMP, 6%
  • Status Reports, 5%
  • Infrastructure, 4%
  • Portfolio, 4%

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