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Product planner vs project planner

The differences between product planners and project planners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a product planner and a project planner. Additionally, a product planner has an average salary of $94,669, which is higher than the $86,926 average annual salary of a project planner.

The top three skills for a product planner include product development, product planning and product line. The most important skills for a project planner are project management, project planning, and microsoft project.

Product planner vs project planner overview

Product PlannerProject Planner
Yearly salary$94,669$86,926
Hourly rate$45.51$41.79
Growth rate-3%-3%
Number of jobs85,34656,558
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age4545
Years of experience22

What does a product planner do?

Product planner positions require a battery of skills, including decisiveness, stress management, leadership, organization, communication, statistics, business operations, computer literacy, and problem-solving, to name a few. Those who choose this career will be required to involve internally-focused decisions, steps, and tasks necessary to develop a successful product.

What does a project planner do?

A project planner is responsible for determining project management procedures according to business requirements and client specifications. Project planners schedule deliverables of outputs for every milestone to ensure that the team follows the track of guidelines, adhering to the company policies and project plans. They write status reports, conduct cost expenses analysis, and strategize techniques in maximizing the team's productivity and efficiency. A project planner also identifies opportunities to improve project workloads and adjust procedures as necessary to meet the highest goals and objectives.

Product planner vs project planner salary

Product planners and project planners have different pay scales, as shown below.

Product PlannerProject Planner
Average salary$94,669$86,926
Salary rangeBetween $71,000 And $124,000Between $63,000 And $118,000
Highest paying CitySanta Rosa, CADavis, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyAppleNovo Nordisk
Best paying industryTechnologyHospitality

Differences between product planner and project planner education

There are a few differences between a product planner and a project planner in terms of educational background:

Product PlannerProject Planner
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 76%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaWestern Carolina University

Product planner vs project planner demographics

Here are the differences between product planners' and project planners' demographics:

Product PlannerProject Planner
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 57.2% Female, 42.8%Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 7.4% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 7.0% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between product planner and project planner duties and responsibilities

Product planner example responsibilities.

  • Manage company MRP purchases including contractor and consultant contract review.
  • Perform financial forecasting, leveraging MRP to plan performance of products and evaluate ROI of raw materials.
  • Task with supervising raw materials suppliers for computer test equipment construction using several ERP systems.
  • Support implementation of new ERP system (MFGPRO Eb2) relate to engineering procurement systems and processes.
  • Set up KANBAN to assure the steady flow of parts without stock outs as well as growing inventories.
  • Work collaboratively with purchasing, production, engineering, quality control, BOM analysts, buyers, and suppliers.
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Project planner example responsibilities.

  • Utilize SharePoint and manage content to display and capture progress report information.
  • Manage logistics of all facets of the transition from housing, moving, inter-service agreements and education.
  • Manage event day logistics, including staging, set-up and strike; adherence to event schedule, and guest hospitality.
  • Follow EPC projects from the engineering office to the construction site to manage the execution and performance of the construction effort.
  • Manage retrofit projects for progressive stamping equipment.
  • Experience with CMMS (maximo), including writing job plans and pm's.
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Product planner vs project planner skills

Common product planner skills
  • Product Development, 9%
  • Product Planning, 7%
  • Product Line, 7%
  • Logistics, 5%
  • MRP, 4%
  • Product Management, 4%
Common project planner skills
  • Project Management, 20%
  • Project Planning, 8%
  • Microsoft Project, 4%
  • Project Scope, 4%
  • Primavera P6, 4%
  • Project Controls, 3%

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