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Production manager vs project manager

The differences between production managers 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 $78,064 average annual salary of a production manager.

The top three skills for a production manager include continuous improvement, customer service and quality standards. The most important skills for a project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.

Production manager vs project manager overview

Production ManagerProject Manager
Yearly salary$78,064$91,578
Hourly rate$37.53$44.03
Growth rate3%8%
Number of jobs95,561167,116
Job satisfaction-4.17
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 62%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age4647
Years of experience2-

What does a production manager do?

Production managers work in show business, whether in film, television shows, or theatre productions. They oversee the whole production and ensure that all agreements are met. They manage finances and budget allocation. They oversee the design of costumes and sets. They also manage the timeline of filming and ensure that the production or filming will finish within the agreed timeline. Production managers also ensure that all stakeholders are satisfied. They build meaningful working relationships with everyone involved, from directors to actors to crew members. They try to mitigate any potential challenges in the production budget and schedule.

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.

Production manager vs project manager salary

Production managers and project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Production ManagerProject Manager
Average salary$78,064$91,578
Salary rangeBetween $50,000 And $120,000Between $64,000 And $129,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateRhode IslandCalifornia
Best paying companyCheniere EnergyThe Citadel
Best paying industryTechnologyTechnology

Differences between production manager and project manager education

There are a few differences between a production manager and a project manager in terms of educational background:

Production ManagerProject Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 62%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Production manager vs project manager demographics

Here are the differences between production managers' and project managers' demographics:

Production ManagerProject Manager
Average age4647
Gender ratioMale, 76.6% Female, 23.4%Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 5.1% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%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 Percentage6%10%

Differences between production manager and project manager duties and responsibilities

Production manager example responsibilities.

  • Lead a KAIZEN that save 220k in damages.
  • Manage lean sigma techniques and Kaizen events to reduce raw material and scrap costs.
  • Hire and manage crew and locations along with renting necessary film equipment and organizing shoot logistics.
  • Team member in setting up TPM method of measuring production (OEE), helping to achieve record production results.
  • Manage data reports, analyze and provide data to improve operational performance to include OEE, process reliability and labor optimization.
  • Manage production control group and supply replenishment logistics for the manufacturing division.
    • Show more

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.
    • Show more

Production manager vs project manager skills

Common production manager skills
  • Continuous Improvement, 8%
  • Customer Service, 7%
  • Quality Standards, 6%
  • Safety Procedures, 6%
  • Lean Manufacturing, 6%
  • Production Supervisors, 6%
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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Updated January 8, 2025

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