Data analytics vs. project management fields are crucial in the business world. As such, data analysts and project managers play fantastic roles within their field. So, data analytics vs. project management are highly demanded fields in the business world. Let’s discuss more about it in this article.
Table of Contents
What is Data Analytics?
Data is a collection of facts or information that helps analyze various things in your business or project. Accordingly, data analytics is the science of data analysis to make conclusions and predictions about information. As a data analyst, there are so many areas you can apply data analysis, like finance, communications, healthcare, consumer projects, and more.
‘Data! Data! Data! …. I can’t make bricks without clay!’ -Sherlock Holmes via Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Data analysis helps to guide project or business decisions by knowing how to use data. And it helps the organization enhance its performance, maximize profits, and make decisions strategically.
The following are the phases of the data analysis process.
- Ask
- Prepare
- Process
- Analyze
- Share
- Act
Ask – Define the crucial problems and understand stakeholder’s expectations.
Prepare – Gather and store data for analysis. When gathering data, you can use various tools and techniques like survey methodology, focus groups, qualitative research, quantitative research, checklist, unstructured interview, semi–structured interviews, and more.
Process – Clean and check data to ensure integrity. It helps avoid misinterpretation.
Analyze – By using data analysis tools, make conclusions and predictions.
Share – Interpret and communicate results to others to make data-driven decisions.
Act – With conclusions and predictions, you should work in order to solve the original problem.
As a data analyst, you can use tools like spreadsheets, databases, query languages, and visualization software to analyze your data to get conclusions and predictions about your original problem.
What Is Project Management?
According to the PMBOK (project management body of knowledge), the project is a ‘temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.’
Project management is the application of methods, skills, processes, knowledge, experience, tools, and techniques to meet the project requirements and achieve acceptable project outcomes. Project outcomes are constrained to a finite timescale and budget. The following are the phases of the project management process. ( According to the PMBOK)
- Initiating
- Planning
- Executing
- Monitoring and controlling
- Closing
- Initiating phase
The project initiation phase is the first phase in the project management life cycle. You can start a new project by defining its objectives, scope, purpose, and deliverables within this phase. As a project manager, you should take these prime steps properly when starting a new project. Those are,
- Understanding a feasibility study
- Identifying scope
- Identifying deliverables
- Identifying project stakeholders
- Developing a business case
- Planning phase
The project planning phase is the second phase in the project management life cycle. During this phase, create a set of plans to help guide your team members through the execution and closing phases of your project. As a project manager, you should have established project triple constraints during this phase because it will help you to manage project schedule, cost quality, issues, and change risks.
During the planning phase, project managers usually conduct a project kick-off meeting. It is crucial for everyone because it outlines and explains project details. As such, team members can quickly get to work in the next phase.
- Executing phase
The project execution phase is the third phase in the project management life cycle. In this phase, you will build the physical project deliverables according to the goals and objectives and present them to your stakeholders for sign off.
As a project manager, you should monitor and control the project during this phase because it will help you stay within your project’s triple constraints, including costs, time, and scope.
- Monitoring and controlling phase
During this phase, you can track the project’s schedule, cost, quality, changes, risk, procurement, and communications. As such, you can minimize unexpected issues and enhance project efficiency.
- Closing phase
The project closing phase is the fifth phase in the project management life cycle. Once your team has completed tasks and milestones on a project, you enter the closure phase. During this phase, you should provide final deliverables, release resources, and determine the project’s success.
As a project manager, you should evaluate what did and what did not work with the project. Finally, celebrate project success!
Data Analytics VS. Project Management – What Are the Differences
We can understand data analytics vs. project management differences according to the data analyst’s and project manager’s skills, responsibilities, and job requirements.
Data Analyst vs. Project Manager Skills
Data Analyst Skills
As a data analyst, you should have these essential skills, including curiosity, a technical mindset, an understanding of context, data strategy, and data design.
- Curiosity
Curious people usually search for new challenges and experiences which lead to knowledge.
- Having a Technical Mindset
As a data analyst, you should have a technical mindset. Then, you can break down things into smaller steps and work with them logically.
- Understanding of Context
Context is the condition in which something exists or happens. That can be a structure or an environment.
- Data Strategy
As a data analyst, you should have the skills to manage data strategy. Data strategy means management of the people, processes, and tools used in data analysis.
- Data Design
As a data analyst, you should have a sense of organizing information. Data design typically has to do with the actual database.
Project Manager Skills
- Enabling Decision Making
As a project manager, you should enable decision-making on the team or gather decisions from the leader. That is crucial because it helps to keep the project on track and achieve acceptable project outcomes.
- Flexibility
As a project manager, you should have the ability to adapt and overcome changes and challenges. You can help your team members prepare to mitigate risks and handle ambiguity. That involves,
- Flexible planning
- Plan for risks and changes
- Calculate floats in your schedule and more.
- Strong organizational skills
A successful project manager needs strong organizational skills. Through that, you can manage your project and team effectively and efficiently. So, you can use essential tools like planning and scheduling software, collaboration tools, documentation, and quality assurance tools.
However, you may need to experiment with different organizational approaches to determine what works best for you and your team. Read more: Introducing new tools to the project team
- Communicating and Escalating
Every project should have a clear communication way to achieve its goals and expectations and explain team member’s roles and responsibilities. As a project manager, knowing how to communicate and when to escalate issues to management will help to keep you, your team members, and the organization on the path to success.
- Interpersonal Skills
As a leader, interpersonal skills are crucial when managing a project. Interpersonal skills are the behaviors you use to interact with others, such as active listening, leadership, and communication.
Data Analyst VS. Project Manager Job Responsibilities
We can understand data analytics vs. project management differences according to the data analyst’s and project manager’s job responsibilities.
Data analyst and project manager are two crucial roles in the business world. Both positions help complete project tasks within time and budget. However, there are some prime differences in job requirements that each role holds.
Data Analyst Job Responsibilities
Data analysts should be responsible throughout the data analysis phases, including asking, preparing, processing, analyzing, sharing, and acting. During this phases, they use various methods and techniques, like statistics, exploratory data analysis, data visualization, predictive analysis, regression analysis, data mining, descriptive statistics, perspective analysis, and more. By using these tools, they try to make meaningful conclusions and predictions.
Data analysts must have strong analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills to manage and collect data effectively and efficiently.
The following are the common job responsibilities of a data analyst.
- Lead teams to identify business needs to implement efficient improvements.
- Define business requirements to ensure changes are appreciated and develop, analyze, and evaluate business needs.
- Collect data, map workflows, and analyze processes to identify the organization’s requirements. Also, design and implement collection of survey and data.
- Organizing and coordinating activities to manage, store, clean, and validate data.
- Guide team members in methods of formulating operational performance measures and evaluating data.
- Ensure that performance metrics and reports align and support the organization’s mission and vision.
- Identify potential risks and design strategies to mitigate or avoid them.
Project Manager Job Responsibilities
Project managers should be responsible throughout the project life cycle, including initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing. During these phases, they use tools and techniques like Asana, Jira, Kanban board, Agile methodology, Scrum, Gantt chart, critical path method, Trello, Work breakdown structure, Resource Breakdown Structure, Timesheet, and more. These tools and techniques help project managers achieve acceptable project outcomes within the project’s triple constraints. Read more: How to Become an effective project manager
Project managers must have strong communication and problem-solving skills to manage projects effectively and efficiently. Also, they should have conflict management skills to avoid and manage conflicts between team members.
Read More: Qualities of a good project manager
The following are the common responsibilities of a project manager.
- Project Planning and Organizing
The project manager should create a project plan. It will help see the big picture of the project and keep the team on pace and aligned. As such, the project plan is the prime element of the project management.
- Managing Project Tasks Efficiently
Managing project tasks is a crucial part of project management because it will help project managers to hit project milestones. Therefore, you can break down project tasks into smaller steps and use project management tools to manage them efficiently.
- Budgeting and Controlling Costs
Every project manager should manage project costs and ensure the project stays within budget.
- Preparing Monthly Status Reports
- Implement New and Necessary Technologies
- Assisting Other Members of the Operational Team
- Ensuring Timely Response to Requests for Information
Data Analyst VS. Project Manager Job Requirements
Data analytics vs. project management are highly demanded fields in the business world. As such, we can identify some similarities and differences between the data analyst and project manager. That will help you decide which job is suitable for your skill set.
Data analysts collect and analyze data to share and act to solve the original problem. To become a data analyst, you should have strong problem-solving skills.
On the other hand, you should think critically and make the right decision based on the data. As such, you should have good sense to gather the data to analyze the problem. Furthermore, the following are the essential requirements to become a data analyst.
- Strong communication skills
- Presentation skills
- Good understanding of math and statistic
- Good experience with data analysis software
- Good understanding computer programming languages – e.g. SQL, Python, R.
Project managers typically follow a process that involves as follows
- planning and organizing
- managing tasks
- budgeting
- controlling costs, and other factors
To become a project manager, you should have excellent written and verbal communication, leadership, and decision-making skills. Furthermore, the following are the essential requirements to become a project manager.
- Think critically and make decisions quickly.
- Good understanding of project management software and tracking tools
- Good understanding of project management methodologies
- Good understanding of the project’s big picture
Both data analysts and project managers are crucial professional positions in the business world. They required both similarity and different skill sets when playing their role. So, data analytics vs. project management are highly demanded fields in the business world.
Conclusions
Data analytics vs. project management fields are crucial in the business world. As such, data analysts and project managers play fantastic roles within their projects or businesses for its success. So, we can identify similarities and differences between data analysts and project managers, including their skills, job responsibilities, and job requirements.
FAQs
Which Is Better Data Analytics or Project Management?
Data analytics vs. project management are highly demanded fields in the business world. As such, data analysts and project managers play fantastic roles in their job fields. Both positions require excellent problem-solving and communication skills. Project managers should focus on managing projects according to project triple constraints, while data analysts focus on analyzing problems and making meaningful conclusions and predictions. Therefore, both positions are better.
What Pays More for Data Analytics or Project Management?
Usually, project managers have a higher salary than data analysts. According to PaySacle,
- The project manager’s average salary of $78,748 per year
- Data analyst’s average salary of $66,058 per year
However, the average salary will change the company’s location, size, and type. Typically, data analysts have higher salaries in the finance and technology industry. Project managers have higher salaries in the healthcare and construction industry. So, data analytics vs. project management are highly demanded fields in the business world.
