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Technical product manager vs technical project manager

The differences between technical product managers and technical project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 8-10 years to become a technical product manager, becoming a technical project manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a technical product manager has an average salary of $120,052, which is higher than the $108,205 average annual salary of a technical project manager.

The top three skills for a technical product manager include technical product, product management and cloud. The most important skills for a technical project manager are project management, technical project, and scrum.

Technical product manager vs technical project manager overview

Technical Product ManagerTechnical Project Manager
Yearly salary$120,052$108,205
Hourly rate$57.72$52.02
Growth rate10%16%
Number of jobs185,305209,820
Job satisfaction-1
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age3944
Years of experience106

What does a technical product manager do?

A technical product manager's responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis to identify consumers' needs, utilizing new technologies to develop strategies and products, coordinating with different teams, and monitoring the entire progress of production. There are also instances when a technical product manager must perform clerical tasks such as producing reports, preparing presentations, responding to issues and concerns promptly, and managing schedules. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage staff to meet goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

What does a technical project manager do?

The role of technical project managers is to oversee the planning and management of projects within a company. They are considered as the lead subject matter expert in terms of technology concerns. They have varied duties that include ensuring the completion of projects within an established budget and time frame, hiring and training support members, and improving resource management and project planning. They also communicate with stakeholders and collaborate with other departments, all to attain a common goal.

Technical product manager vs technical project manager salary

Technical product managers and technical project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Technical Product ManagerTechnical Project Manager
Average salary$120,052$108,205
Salary rangeBetween $89,000 And $161,000Between $81,000 And $142,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyMetaSheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton
Best paying industryTechnologyFinance

Differences between technical product manager and technical project manager education

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

Technical Product ManagerTechnical Project Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of GeorgiaStanford University

Technical product manager vs technical project manager demographics

Here are the differences between technical product managers' and technical project managers' demographics:

Technical Product ManagerTechnical Project Manager
Average age3944
Gender ratioMale, 75.8% Female, 24.2%Male, 73.2% Female, 26.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%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 Percentage10%11%

Differences between technical product manager and technical project manager duties and responsibilities

Technical product manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage user interface design for PC products, working with designers and developers to create look and feel.
  • Manage the UI domain team encompassing user interface functionality, global behavior definitions, new user paradigms and concepts.
  • Task with product ownership; implement and improve the product operations following SDLC methodologies, managing and meeting the stakeholder expectations.
  • Design and lead implementation of web-base Java application for high volume transaction processing.
  • Manage horizontal UX prototyping resource needs, implementing effective collaborative expectations and cross-product timeline allocation strategies.
  • Involve championing the development of product requirements, use cases, and user stories for a target cloud document delivery service.
  • Show more

Technical project manager example responsibilities.

  • Develop and manage project plan with PeopleSoft support team.
  • Manage development through launch of first-ever Microsoft OS touchscreen and keyboard smartphone.
  • Lead the complete system re-write of the mission critical enterprise POS retail system.
  • Manage the daily operations and support of the legacy systems while PeopleSoft are implemented.
  • Help manage the project to install a new Cisco VOIP solution for the entire district.
  • Manage, analyze, and enhance pricing program operational control processes and develop SOX controls and documentation over this process.
  • Show more

Technical product manager vs technical project manager skills

Common technical product manager skills
  • Technical Product, 10%
  • Product Management, 7%
  • Cloud, 6%
  • User Stories, 5%
  • Project Management, 4%
  • Scrum, 4%
Common technical project manager skills
  • Project Management, 15%
  • Technical Project, 10%
  • Scrum, 7%
  • Infrastructure, 5%
  • Jira, 5%
  • Software Development, 4%

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