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The differences between applications project managers and project leaders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both an applications project manager and a project leader. Additionally, an applications project manager has an average salary of $101,626, which is higher than the $98,559 average annual salary of a project leader.
The top three skills for an applications project manager include project management, scrum and application development. The most important skills for a project leader are project management, work ethic, and C++.
| Applications Project Manager | Project Leader | |
| Yearly salary | $101,626 | $98,559 |
| Hourly rate | $48.86 | $47.38 |
| Growth rate | - | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 138,679 | 221,165 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
In the information technology industry, an applications project manager is primarily in charge of supervising the efforts in managing development projects for applications and systems. Their responsibilities include managing project development teams, setting objectives and guidelines, overseeing budgets and schedules, and developing strategies to optimize project operations. They may also conduct installations, upgrades, modifications, and perform regular maintenance checks, conducting repairs as needed. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage teams to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
A project leader is responsible for supervising the team and managing the distribution of tasks to ensure the project's success with the highest efficiency and accuracy. Duties of a project leader include motivating the team, managing the team's needs and concerns, providing effective strategies to improve the team's performance, creating reports, monitoring the team's progress, and maintaining the coordination between team members. A project leader should have exceptional leadership skills to handle the team's operation and identify areas of improvement to deliver excellent results.
Applications project managers and project leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Applications Project Manager | Project Leader | |
| Average salary | $101,626 | $98,559 |
| Salary range | Between $81,000 And $126,000 | Between $70,000 And $138,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | MRI Software | Boston Consulting Group |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Professional |
There are a few differences between an applications project manager and a project leader in terms of educational background:
| Applications Project Manager | Project Leader | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between applications project managers' and project leaders' demographics:
| Applications Project Manager | Project Leader | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 64.5% Female, 35.5% | Male, 69.0% Female, 31.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |