Program planner vs project planner

The differences between program 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 program planner and a project planner. Additionally, a project planner has an average salary of $86,926, which is higher than the $64,782 average annual salary of a program planner.

The top three skills for a program planner include program planning, program management and master schedule. The most important skills for a project planner are project management, project planning, and microsoft project.

Program planner vs project planner overview

	Program Planner	Project Planner
Yearly salary	$64,782	$86,926
Hourly rate	$31.15	$41.79
Growth rate	4%	-3%
Number of jobs	70,996	56,558
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	42	45
Years of experience	2	2

What does a program planner do?

A program planner is responsible for facilitating and developing program agendas according to business requirements and specifications. Program planners manage program activities by following budget limitations, identifying resources, and finalizing the total count of participants. They also coordinate with professional event planners for recovery solutions should any issues arise. A program planner must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in updating the program manager of updates and plan adjustments as needed to achieve program goals and objectives.

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.

Program planner vs project planner salary

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

	Program Planner	Project Planner
Average salary	$64,782	$86,926
Salary range	Between $49,000 And $84,000	Between $63,000 And $118,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Davis, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	SMTC	Novo Nordisk
Best paying industry	Technology	Hospitality

Differences between program planner and project planner education

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

	Program Planner	Project Planner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 69%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Western Carolina University

Program planner vs project planner demographics

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

	Program Planner	Project Planner
Average age	42	45
Gender ratio	Male, 48.2% Female, 51.8%	Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 9.5% White, 67.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	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 Percentage	13%	11%

Differences between program planner and project planner duties and responsibilities

Program planner example responsibilities.

Create and manage integrated master project plans with detail WBS structures.
Manage part parameters in order to run MRP effectively to maintain a continuous supply chain at the targeted inventory levels.
Display excellent leadership skills in directing the performance of the IPT leads and integrate program level performance for program monthly reviews.
Conduct intensive interfacing with engineering and IPT leads to analyze complex schedules and develop viable action plans for scheduling risk mitigation.
Develop and manage the SharePoint database.
Resolve issues regarding logistics, repair cycles, materials returns and cross-contamination; manage all supply-chain relate escalated issues.

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.

Program planner vs project planner skills

Common program planner skills

Program Planning, 12%
Program Management, 10%
Master Schedule, 9%
Microsoft Project, 9%
Earned Value Management, 8%
Management System, 6%

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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Program Planner
Program Planner vs Project Planner

Updated January 8, 2025

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