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The differences between practice leaders and project managers & leader can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a practice leader, becoming a project manager & leader takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a practice leader has an average salary of $131,194, which is higher than the $102,092 average annual salary of a project manager & leader.
The top three skills for a practice leader include exceptional client, patients and business development. The most important skills for a project manager & leader are project management, infrastructure, and post implementation.
| Practice Leader | Project Manager & Leader | |
| Yearly salary | $131,194 | $102,092 |
| Hourly rate | $63.07 | $49.08 |
| Growth rate | 16% | - |
| Number of jobs | 50,164 | 190,600 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 6 |
A project management specialist is responsible for overseeing different programs and projects within a company, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities typically revolve around identifying project needs, participating in setting goals and objectives, managing schedules and budgets, performing risk and cost assessments, and producing progress reports and presentations for the directors and other executives. Furthermore, a project management specialist may also perform research and analysis to find new business opportunities and liaise with clients to generate sales.
A project manager & leader is responsible for monitoring the overall project management and staff operations, ensuring the efficiency and accuracy of project deliverables to meet the client's requirements, and achieving the highest customer satisfaction. Project managers/leaders implement strategic procedures to minimize costs while maximizing operational productivity. They identify business opportunities by analyzing the current market trends to develop services that would meet the clients' demands and the public's interests. A project manager & leader also handles the department budget, allocating adequate resources, and maintaining an organized delegation of tasks for the employees.
Practice leaders and project managers & leader have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Practice Leader | Project Manager & Leader | |
| Average salary | $131,194 | $102,092 |
| Salary range | Between $92,000 And $185,000 | Between $74,000 And $139,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | California |
| Best paying company | SAP | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a practice leader and a project manager & leader in terms of educational background:
| Practice Leader | Project Manager & Leader | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between practice leaders' and project managers & leader' demographics:
| Practice Leader | Project Manager & Leader | |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.2% Female, 26.8% | Male, 72.0% Female, 28.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 10.1% Asian, 12.7% White, 65.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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% |