Difference between General Management and Project Management
With an emphasis on long-term strategy and organizational objectives, general management includes the overall administration and coordination of an organization's resources and operations. Project management, on the other hand, is focused on organizing, carrying out, and concluding individual projects within a predetermined scope and timetable in order to accomplish specific goals. Let's understand the topic in detail.
What is General Management?
General Management, as name suggests, is simply managing, coordinating and controlling operations, usage of available resources, and time to achieve specified goal or objectives of organization. In order to accomplish major corporate objectives, general management entails supervising all aspects of an organization's activities and concentrating on resource planning, organization, leadership, and control. It covers a range of functional domains, including operations, marketing, finance, and human resources, and it makes sure that every aspect of the company functions as a whole.
Features of General Management
- Leadership and Decision-Making: Strong leadership abilities are necessary for managing teams, coming to strategic decisions, and resolving disagreements.
- Performance Monitoring: Monitoring and assessing departmental and staff performance is part of performance monitoring, which makes sure that organizational goals are reached.
- Policy Development: To guarantee efficient operations and regulatory compliance, and develop and execute organizational policies and procedures.
What is Project Management?
The practice of overseeing a particular project from start to finish is known as project management. To produce a unique result within a predetermined timeframe, it involves setting objectives, organizing tasks, assigning resources, and controlling time, cost, and quality. It concentrates on short-term, goal-specific tasks rather than continuous operations, in contrast to general management.
Features of Project Management
- Progress Tracking: Monitoring project progress in relation to deliverables and milestones allows for necessary adjustments to be made to stay on track and under budget.
- Communication with Clients and Stakeholders: Keeps in touch with clients and stakeholders to report on the status of the project and make sure their requirements are satisfied.
- Finishing and Assessment: Concentrates on accomplishing the project according to schedule and, after it's finished, assesses its success by rating performance and documenting lessons learnt.
Difference between General Management and Project Management
Parameters | General Management | Project Management |
|---|---|---|
Focus | It mainly focuses on management of general activities. | It mainly focuses on management of project and related tasks. |
Skills Required | General manager should have various skills such as Strategy and development, capable of managing conflicts, team-building skills, etc. | Project manager should have various skills such as Leadership, risk management, communication skills, technical skills, problem-solving skills, etc. |
Main Aim | Its main aim is to manage all resources of company and oversee daily operations. | Its main aim is to complete project with fulfilling requirements of clients or customers on specified time. |
Process Nature | It is a continuous process. | It is a temporary process. |
Work Location | General manager only work within organizational premises. | Project manager not only work within organizational premises, but they also can work outside organizational premises. |
Role Duration | General manager have to oversee operations or functions daily and manage them through resources, tools, etc. There role is never ending. | When project gets closed once it achieve required goals or objectives, then project manager role is completed and ended. |
Authority | General manager have unlimited authority over their staff. | Project manager does not have any authority over their staff. |
Skill Focus | General management requires general manager having skills of general management to lead various projects. | Project management requires project manager having skills of solving, improving, correcting problems. |
Focus Area | Main focus of general manager is on capability of team members working within organization. | Main focus of project manager is on requirements of project. |
Conclusion
Project management focusses on accomplishing particular, time-bound goals, whereas general management makes sure that daily activities operate smoothly and are in line with strategic objectives. Although, they focus on various elements of management, both are essential for the success of an organization.
