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The differences between software project managers and business analyst/project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a software project manager and a business analyst/project manager. Additionally, a software project manager has an average salary of $115,181, which is higher than the $99,882 average annual salary of a business analyst/project manager.
The top three skills for a software project manager include project management, scrum and development process. The most important skills for a business analyst/project manager are project management, business stakeholders, and business process.
| Software Project Manager | Business Analyst/Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $115,181 | $99,882 |
| Hourly rate | $55.38 | $48.02 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 285,134 | 173,827 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 39 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A software project manager is responsible for leading software projects and development from its conceptualization to final deliverables. Software project managers coordinate with the clients for their specifications and requirements, including their budget limitations and timetables. They discuss the project outline with software developers and design engineers and gather all the ideas for the design plan. A software project manager reviews every successful milestone completion, revise project plans as needed, and ensure the stability and efficiency of software applications by running quality control tests.
A business analyst/project manager is responsible for developing project management procedures, analyzing processes, and ensuring the accuracy and efficiency of project deliverables, following clients' specifications and requirements to meet their highest satisfaction. Business analysts/project managers manage project resources, delegate tasks to project staff, setting deadlines, and coordinating with the clients for regular updates and suggest strategic adjustments as needed. They also mitigate potential risks and manage changes during the project execution, maintaining the quality of the outputs, and balancing costs to meet the clients' budget goals.
Software project managers and business analyst/project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Project Manager | Business Analyst/Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $115,181 | $99,882 |
| Salary range | Between $84,000 And $156,000 | Between $72,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New York |
| Best paying company | Meta | Citi |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Finance |
There are a few differences between a software project manager and a business analyst/project manager in terms of educational background:
| Software Project Manager | Business Analyst/Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between software project managers' and business analyst/project managers' demographics:
| Software Project Manager | Business Analyst/Project Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.2% Female, 32.8% | Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 12% |