Business process analyst vs project manager

The differences between business process analysts and project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a project manager has an average salary of $91,578, which is higher than the $78,215 average annual salary of a business process analyst.

The top three skills for a business process analyst include process improvement, project management and subject matter experts. The most important skills for a project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.

Business process analyst vs project manager overview

	Business Process Analyst	Project Manager
Yearly salary	$78,215	$91,578
Hourly rate	$37.60	$44.03
Growth rate	11%	8%
Number of jobs	160,260	167,116
Job satisfaction	-	4.17
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	44	47
Years of experience	4	-

What does a business process analyst do?

The business process analysts are responsible for producing, managing, and enhancing business processes to improve business performance using data. They gather, analyze, and transcribe information about internal processes to obtain a comprehensive picture of the company's internal workings. Their responsibilities include developing strategies, identifying the needs of the user, and communicating compound data in a comprehensible way. Also, they identify, implement, and assess business metrics that are essential to the end-users. Additionally, they may act as consultants to project teams providing them with recommendations for product or service improvement.

What does a project manager do?

Project managers oversee a specific project related to the organization's business. They manage the whole project from inception to evaluation. They initiate planning with involved departments, follow-through on the plans, ensure smooth execution of the plans, and evaluate the project for further improvements should these be needed. In line with this, project managers also ensure that the project is cost-efficient and well within the budget. They also manage the different work teams involved in the project and ensure that things are running smoothly on this aspect as well.

Business process analyst vs project manager salary

Business process analysts and project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Business Process Analyst	Project Manager
Average salary	$78,215	$91,578
Salary range	Between $57,000 And $106,000	Between $64,000 And $129,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	Rhode Island	California
Best paying company	Google	The Citadel
Best paying industry	Manufacturing	Technology

Differences between business process analyst and project manager education

There are a few differences between a business process analyst and a project manager in terms of educational background:

	Business Process Analyst	Project Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 70%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Pennsylvania

Business process analyst vs project manager demographics

Here are the differences between business process analysts' and project managers' demographics:

	Business Process Analyst	Project Manager
Average age	44	47
Gender ratio	Male, 49.5% Female, 50.5%	Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 14.6% White, 64.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	12%	10%

Differences between business process analyst and project manager duties and responsibilities

Business process analyst example responsibilities.

Apply control concepts to develop and manage KPIs and establish internal processes.
Program manage the roll-out of new and efficient solution that house all SOX documentation.
Upgrade programs from FoxPro to SQL server to automate and streamline the assumption update process with SQL procedures and DTS packages.
Manage technical design and architecture sessions to ensure functionality deliverables meet business requirements.
Manage the Salesforce preparation for migration from GreatPlains to PeopleSoft and successfully execute said migration.
Collaborate with project manager in tracking and managing project development process following RUP base SDLC methodologies.

Project manager example responsibilities.

Schedule and manage the GCP audit process.
Define, develop and manage metrics and KPIs systems for new product business group.
Manage the application process for the FDA medical device, minority and small business certifications.
Manage multiple projects and resources simultaneously while mentoring, coaching and implementing best practices, SOX and HIPAA compliance standards.
Lead teams using the Informatica ETL tool for the design and development of multiple financial and risk enterprise data warehouses.
Administer and manage Salesforce requirements.

Business process analyst vs project manager skills

Common business process analyst skills

Process Improvement, 9%
Project Management, 8%
Subject Matter Experts, 6%
Customer Service, 5%
Continuous Improvement, 5%
Lean Six Sigma, 4%

Common project manager skills

Project Management, 23%
Project Scope, 6%
Customer Service, 6%
Infrastructure, 5%
Status Reports, 4%
Risk Management, 3%

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Business Process Analyst vs Project Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

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