What is the difference between project lead

and project manager?

6 Answers

Oliver Dolan, Systems Engineer, Pro-active Learner & Elite Golfer

Updated Sep 29 2017 · Author has 63 answers and 124.1k answer views

To evaluate the differences between these two roles lets first define there responsibilities:

 Project Lead
o Ultimately responsible for all the teams beneath there chain of command
o Responsible for day to day running and co-ordination of the project managers
and synchronization down to contributor teams
o Would likely be given final decision/veto powers of an agile product backlog.
o Responsible up the chain of command to stakeholders and the senior levels of
management. For example:
 Finance and budget allocations
 Commercial sensitive information
 Mergers and acquisitions
o Most likely customer facing or responsible to the end customers for his
delivery stream.
o Ultimately responsible for meeting expectations at almost any cost they deem
acceptable to the business.
 For example delivery on time and within allocated budgets to support
the organisations strategic objectives.
o Given more freedom to make the magic happen but ultimately far more
responsibility than a project manager if things dont work out.
o Takes high level HR decisions to ensure people being hired into positions
deemed important for the value stream are a good fit and capable of delivering
what is required without significant disruption.
o Heavily responsible for maximizing return on investment of there allocated
delivery stream and evaluated yearly.
o Must make sure the sales teams have what they need from the product
development departments to meet the business sales targets and potentially
increasing share price.
o Settles disputes among project managers to maximize the benefit to the
organisation at large.
o Might be required to solicit feedback and requirements from key people in
external organisations.
 Project Manager
o Responsible for delivering updates and information from senior management
to teams
o Must make sure the product backlog priorities are respected and delivered
upon by his teams
 o Delivers the teams status up the value chain to the project lead so decisions can
be made at the strategic level reliably.
o May measure individual contributions of teams or team members to identify
weak links or areas for quick and easy improvements.
o Likely responsible for maintaining an accurate helicopter view of his teams
status’s so they can be evaluated by senior personnel at any time for change of
strategy.
o Will normally understand the intricate details of a product at a finer level of
detail than a project lead.
o Can deal with low level personnel disputes especially when occurring between
teams who are meant to be collaborating for the organisations benefit.
o Often responsible for ensuring items required to deliver a project on time are
going to be available for the projects success. For example:
 In a manufacturing project there is no point having all the contractors
ready to construct things without materials in stock to build with.

Now we can see some slight differences in the roles above. However it is not uncommon for
the roles to be interchangeable or merged and split with different variations of above.

It is also common to have a technical or team project lead who actually sits at the bottom of
all of these and is just responsible for a smaller set of above but reports up to a project
manager.

Ultimately it will come down to how each organisation chooses to be structured so tread
with caution when evaluating someone by job title as it may be worth exploring a little
deeper to find out there true responsibilities.

Hopefully it helps

Good Luck

Oliver Dolan

40.2k Views · View 13 Upvoters

Related QuestionsMore Answers Below

 What is the main difference between a project lead and a project manager in software
development?
 What is the difference between Project Manager and Project Lead?
 What is the difference between a project manager and technical project manager?
 What is the difference between these project manager roles?
 What is the difference between project leader and project management?

Rajesh Singh, Project Manager at Integre Solutions (2018-present)

Answered Feb 6, 2018 · Author has 76 answers and 83.7k answer views
Both accept challenges. Both have an ability to drive the situation. Both have knowledge and
experience to handle a deadlock. What varies is their style of thinking and working. A project
manager and a project Lead both have a mixed blend of all qualities. What varies is the way
they manage a problem.

A Project Lead can be a manager and a manager can be a Leader at times. Situations
arise when a Project Lead has to manage and a manager has to lead. When a Lead is
managing a situation, he might be acting more like a manager. Similarly, when all of a
sudden, an unplanned issue arises, serious in nature, and needs an immediate solution, a
manager might have to lead others in demonstrating how to manage such situations without
looking for standards and procedures. The manager in such situations uses intuitive and
innovative techniques more found in a Lead.

Most of the successful managers and Lead are good thinkers and have strong expressive
powers. Some basic differences between a Project Lead and manager are:

1. Project Lead have a power of changing the world. Managers have the power to manage the
change.

2. Project Lead find out the innovative ways, managers find out the best out of them to adopt.

3. Project Lead are the front runners leading the way, paving the way, carving the fortune.
Managers stay behind the team, taking care of each of the member, managing, monitoring,
planning and executing.

4. Project Lead is more like a mentor; manager is more like an organizer and planner.

5. Project Lead looks for new challenges, manager becomes an expert in finding out best
solutions when encounters a new challenge.

6. Project Lead enjoys panicky situations. Manager avoids panicky situations.

7. Project Lead is more like a revolutionary, manager is like a strategist.

8. Project Lead knows how to convince others with new ideas, manager adopts best
procedures to convince.

9. Project Lead showers credit on team, manager takes the credit for each success.

10. Project Lead makes teams capable of handling adverse situations by empowering them,
manager facilitates teams to achieve targets.

Ref: Ten Differences Between Project Manager and Project Leader

8k Views · View 5 Upvoters

Nic Kolas, former Project Manager at GoodLab

Answered Dec 26, 2018 · Author has 273 answers and 21.3k answer views
Project Leader

 Leads people throughout the project. Project leader tells people all the basic
information concerning the project. He’s always there in case any trouble appears and
is a guide for the team in their tasks.
 Is concerned with the project’s outcome. He’s interested in the effects. The how,
why, what for. His aim is to make sure the project is carried in the best way possible.
That every detail is taken care of and there are no understatements.
 Has a vision in which he engages people. He motivates them, gives clues, ideas. He
listens to the team, takes care of its needs and pays attention to how the employees
feel. He makes sure the atmosphere at work is friendly so the work is being done
productively and with dedication.
 Has people beneath him. Has more freedom than the project manager when it comes
to giving orders and controlling people. He’s the main leader of the project and his
most important.
 Adds value to the project and team. Gives the team’s work a meaning. He makes
people feel that their work is appreciated and important. He’s the spiritual support for
the team.

Project Manager

 Is concerned about meeting the deadlines. There is a project and it needs to be done.
Everyone has to do his/her job and that’s what matters the most.
 Has tactical approach. Takes care of budget, schedule, deadlines, documentation,
staffing, HR, people, etc. Project Manager is not to motivate people but to keep things
organized.
 Reports the progress. Is responsible for delivering updates on the project progress
and possible obstacles.
 Is beneath project leader. He doesn’t have that much freedom when it comes to
people. He manages the project and that’s his main role.

You may want to read this How To Be A Project Manager [Humor]

724 Views · View 1 Upvoter

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Erich Knobil, Peachtree/Sage User at Business (2000-present)

Answered Dec 22, 2017 · Author has 124 answers and 12.6k answer views

A project manager normally has broader responsibilities than a project lead. In a complex
program, a project manager may have several reports who are project leads for projects within
the program.

2.8k Views

Buddy Bacchus, M.B.A. Master of Business Administration Degrees & Project Management,
University of Maryland, University C...
Answered Jan 26, 2018 · Author has 74 answers and 21.3k answer views

Each project must have a Project Manager (PM). Usually the product being built or developed
has a technical aspect to it thus the technical person is considered the Lead, hence the project
lead.

1.9k Views

Stacee Hutchings, BSBA, 7 PM Certifications Business Administration & Project

Management (2011)
Answered Nov 9, 2017 · Author has 1.5k answers and 551.6k answer views

Project lead is over a part of the project, one piece, like accounting or procurement. A project
manager confers with several leads to build the project, gather data, and gives direction for the
entire project. The leads report to the project manager. Then the project manager will report to
a director and/or VP’s.

3.3k Views · View 3 Upvoters

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