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The differences between project planners and projects controllers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a project planner, becoming a projects controller takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a project planner has an average salary of $86,926, which is higher than the $79,451 average annual salary of a projects controller.
The top three skills for a project planner include project management, project planning and microsoft project. The most important skills for a projects controller are project management, financial analysis, and project controller.
| Project Planner | Projects Controller | |
| Yearly salary | $86,926 | $79,451 |
| Hourly rate | $41.79 | $38.20 |
| Growth rate | -3% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 56,558 | 16,334 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
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.
A project controller is responsible for evaluating the effectiveness of project management procedures, ensuring that the team adheres to the clients' specifications and requirements, and keeping all project resources and deliverables within the budget goals and set timeframe. Project controllers determine the progress of the project and coordinate the updates to the client, adjusting the project approach as needed to achieve high-quality standards and objectives. They also maintain an organized report of expenditures, as well as generating process reports to identify potential process improvement techniques that will maximize operational efficiency.
Project planners and projects controllers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Planner | Projects Controller | |
| Average salary | $86,926 | $79,451 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $118,000 | Between $53,000 And $118,000 |
| Highest paying City | Davis, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Novo Nordisk | California Resources |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Finance |
There are a few differences between a project planner and a projects controller in terms of educational background:
| Project Planner | Projects Controller | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between project planners' and projects controllers' demographics:
| Project Planner | Projects Controller | |
| Average age | 45 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9% | Male, 55.9% Female, 44.1% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 13.9% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 7% |