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The differences between project managers/scrum master and project leaders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a project manager/scrum master and a project leader. Additionally, a project leader has an average salary of $98,559, which is higher than the $95,047 average annual salary of a project manager/scrum master.
The top three skills for a project manager/scrum master include sprint planning, jira and scrum meetings. The most important skills for a project leader are project management, work ethic, and C++.
| Project Manager/Scrum Master | Project Leader | |
| Yearly salary | $95,047 | $98,559 |
| Hourly rate | $45.70 | $47.38 |
| Growth rate | - | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 99,027 | 221,165 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Project Managers or scrum masters are experienced employees who lead an agile team. They are in charge of managing a specific project in terms of the agile model. They lead the team throughout the planning session, the designing of the project parameters, the development of the processes, the implementation of the project, and the evaluation. They represent the team in meetings with stakeholders. They ensure that the working relationship among all the departments involved is harmonious. They also guide their team members throughout the project.
A project leader is responsible for supervising the team and managing the distribution of tasks to ensure the project's success with the highest efficiency and accuracy. Duties of a project leader include motivating the team, managing the team's needs and concerns, providing effective strategies to improve the team's performance, creating reports, monitoring the team's progress, and maintaining the coordination between team members. A project leader should have exceptional leadership skills to handle the team's operation and identify areas of improvement to deliver excellent results.
Project managers/scrum master and project leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Manager/Scrum Master | Project Leader | |
| Average salary | $95,047 | $98,559 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $128,000 | Between $70,000 And $138,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Citi | Boston Consulting Group |
| Best paying industry | Media | Professional |
There are a few differences between a project manager/scrum master and a project leader in terms of educational background:
| Project Manager/Scrum Master | Project Leader | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between project managers/scrum master' and project leaders' demographics:
| Project Manager/Scrum Master | Project Leader | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.6% Female, 33.4% | Male, 69.0% Female, 31.0% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |