Difference Between Scrum Master and Project Manager (With Table)

There are lots of new projects that are blooming in the IT industry. For that, they need developers, managers, programmers, and everything that is needed for that new project. In this two people play an important role. The one is Scrum Master, and the other is the Project Manager. Their jobs are not easy because they are challenging and need lots of work to be involved.

Scrum Master vs Project Manager

The main difference between Scrum Master and Product Manager is that a scrum master is a person who will be responsible for handling projects based on the agile model, and their work will be stressful and challenging depending on the situation. A product manager is a person who will handle the project and will respond right from the beginning till the end.

Scrum master is a very in-demand job, and one should be very good at agile model projects. There are also five steps in scrum master. There are some six principles available in scrum master as well. This is sometimes a challenging job as well, and it depends on the type of company you work with. Here the main role for you is to handle your team and the members of the team. 

A project manager is responsible for everything right from the beginning of the project. But it is also a stressful as well as a challenging career. In the end, it will be worth it because companies are willing to pay good salaries for these people. It is not like you can’t get a job as a project manager without experience. For that, you need to have some good skills, personal projects, and a good portfolio. 

Comparison Table Between Scrum Master and Project Manager

Parameters of Comparison

Scrum Master

Project Manager

Definition

It is a person who will handle the agile model projects

A project manager is a person who is responsible for handling a project

Reporting

Product Owner

Clients or stakeholder

Leadership

Servant Leader

Leader

Main focus

They should focus on the team members

They should focus on the project

Risk

They don’t hold any risk in the project

They should hold risk for the project and is responsible for whatever happens.

What is Scrum Master?

It is a person who will lead the team in the agile model project. A scrum master should be very professional in handling agile projects. This is the main framework that stands for agile project management. This is a very in-demand job and also comes with a good amount of salary. Their everyday work involves assisting the team in the tasks. They will make the decisions for the team and themselves.

This is an important job that every company is looking for. If you have an interest in software engineering and would like to work on software development projects, then this is the right fit for you. Most companies are following the agile model for all their projects. To become a better fit for this role then you should be very strong in developing agile model projects. It has very good career opportunities because of the digital world.

But the name itself would have made you realize that this is not an easy job or an easy task. It involves lots of work as work. And sometimes it will make your day very stressful because you have a team to handle and also have to solve their queries. Because you have to schedule the meetings and once the meeting ends you have to make the report as well. Being a scrum master is just that, and you will get any senior positions in that job. 

What is Project Manager?

A Project manager is a person who will plan the project, execute it, and will work on the project till the project gets over. They are the head of a new project. They also assign tasks for people under them. They are responsible for every event that happens in the project. Becoming a project is not an easy task. You should work hard and should have some good experience. 

To become a good and successful project manager, you should have a good portfolio and some good experience in that field. Because people mostly don’t hire freshers as project managers. A study has shown that it requires at least 3 years of experience to become a good project manager at some reputed companies. There are five stages of project management available, and the five stages are initializing the project, planning the project, executing the project, monitoring, and closing the project. 

These five stages are important till they complete the project. A project manager is considered to be one of the good carriers, and it also has the highest salary in the tech field. It is also in very great demand that many companies are looking for hiring project managers. But it also contains lots of work, and people are often complaining that it leads to stress. But if you like some challenging and complex work, then it is the perfect job for you.

Main Differences Between Scrum Master and Project Manager

  1. A scrum master is a person who will deal with agile model projects. On the other hand, a project manager is a person who will work on developing projects right from the beginning till the end.
  2. A scrum master should always report to the product owner. But a project manager should report to the clients or to the stakeholder.
  3. As scrum masters, they will not have any risk in developing agile model projects. But as project managers, they are responsible for whatever happens in the project.
  4. The leadership role of the scrum master is a servant leader. But the leadership role of a product manager is a leader.
  5. The scrum master’s main focus will be on the team members. On the other hand, the product manager’s main focus will be on the team and as well as the team members.

Conclusion

Both these jobs are in great demand. And many companies are looking for candidates for these roles. But the journey is very tough and not an easy one. You should be very consistent and hard-working on getting succeeded in them. Since this is based on the technology field, you should have a good grip on computer science.

Computer science is a growing field. Because everything is turning into digital, unless you have a good portfolio, personal projects, and skills, it will be really difficult to survive in this field. Also, these roles are challenging, and you should have some years of experience to get this position. To get the position without having any experience then you have to have a strong grip on these roles. 

References

  1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0164121220302612
  2. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10664-020-09899-4