What does a Project Coordinator do?

Project coordinators cover a wide range of tasks and come to the job at various career stages. For example, some may be entry-level specialists looking to build their experience and build toward a more senior role. Others come with a depth of experience and hundreds of projects behind them. However, all Project Coordinators are responsible for the day-to-day delivery of a project, ensuring deliverables are on track. If these deliverables aren’t high quality, they will defer to a Project Manager for further decisions.

Project Coordinator responsibilities and skills

A Project Coordinator’s primary responsibilities include:

• Tracking deliverables, team members and task progress on a daily basis

• Communicating with the Project Manager about issues around budget, personnel and deadlines

•  Proposing solutions to the Project Manager

• Keeping documentation and project dashboards up to date

• Coordinating with other team members and ensuring open communication between all levels of the project’s personnel structure

• Helping senior management optimize project workflow

To manage these responsibilities, a good Project Coordinator needs the following skills:

• Organization

• Written, face-to-face and phone communication

• Attention to detail

• Multitasking 

• Willingness to learn

What does a Project Manager do?

The Project Manager is the binding force and central point of every project. From planning to final delivery, they are responsible for every facet and detail of your project. Project Managers can cover a wide range of expertise levels and career stages. For example, an experienced Project Manager might be an expert in their field with hundreds of vast, complex projects on their resume. On the other hand, another Project Manager might have experience managing only a few simple projects before progressing in their career.

Project Manager responsibilities and skills

A Project Manager’s main responsibilities include:

• Establishing deadlines and identifying the tasks and personnel required to meet those deadlines

• Coordinating workloads between teams and ensuring proper communication

• Managing internal and contracted resources

• Ensuring the project is completed on time and within budget

• Identifying risks and challenges and creating plans to address them

• Managing team members and making sure they are working together well

• Adjusting resources and timelines as needed up to project delivery

To manage these responsibilities, a good Project Manager needs the following skills:

• Big-picture thinking

• Attention to detail and how details relate to the bigger picture

• Problem-solving

• Management and team tracking

• Mentoring

• Conflict resolution

• Multitasking

Differences between Project Manager and Project Coordinator responsibilities

There are some key differences between these two positions that can be broken down across skills, seniority and responsibilities.

Skills and experience

Project Managers may have additional skills, such as leadership and planning skills, as these are involved from the start of each project. Additionally, Project Managers may be more experienced, with a deeper knowledge of the industry and more projects under their belt.

Seniority

A Project Manager is senior to a Project Coordinator, having responsibility for the entire project, while Project Coordinators may only handle part of a project.

Responsibilities

Project Coordinators don’t have the wide range of responsibilities that Project Managers do. Their responsibilities don’t begin until the initial planning is over, after which they are assigned the tasks they need to manage. At this point, they begin the administration and coordination tasks. Project Managers may do some of this work, but in addition to other tasks, rather than as their primary focus. Essentially, Project Managers are responsible for the big picture, while Project Coordinators manage the details.

Project Coordinator vs. Project Manager—which do you need?

If your team is feeling strained regarding projects, look carefully at whether it would be beneficial to have a Project Manager or Project Coordinator. Although the differences in the two roles might make the choice of Project Coordinator vs. Project Manager seem straightforward, it might not be immediately obvious where the gap is. 

Are your current project managers overburdened because they are running too many projects or because they are taking on too many of the day-to-day tasks that a Project Coordinator can do? If you find they aren’t taking on much of the team-running, you may need another Project Manager.

On the other hand, if your Project Manager has been running projects while doing administrative tasks themselves, but the increasing number of projects means they can’t manage as well anymore, consider hiring a Project Coordinator.

Of course, budgetary issues are certain to influence your decision, too. When weighing up the Project Coordinator vs. Project Manager salary, it will likely be more cost-efficient to hire a Project Coordinator because they usually have fewer skills and responsibilities. If your Project Managers can handle their workload by adding an extra Project Coordinator, that may be the route to follow.

FAQs 

Can a Project Coordinator become a Project Manager?

Yes. Project Manager is a logical career progression for a Project Coordinator. As Project Coordinators build their skills and experience, they may find they want to acquire more responsibilities. If you’re looking for a new Project Manager, you might consider a Project Coordinator with plenty of experience who has been taking Project Management courses.

What is another title for a Project Manager?

Different sectors may use different titles for someone taking on the role of a Project Manager. For example, tech and programming companies may employ a Program Manager or Head of Program. Other titles may include Project Leader or Program Leader.

What is the hierarchy of project management?

Project management can be a complex process, depending on the size, duration and complexities of the individual projects your organization runs. To run the process smoothly, most larger organizations require three levels of management:

• Project Director: Also known as a Project Executive, this is the most senior level of project management, usually in charge of long-term strategy and simultaneous delivery of multiple projects.

• Project Manager: Usually reports to a Project Director, but in a smaller organization may report directly to a CEO. Responsible for the overall delivery of a project and tactical problem-solving.

• Project Coordinator: The least senior in the project management hierarchy, this role reports to a Project Manager and is responsible for the day-to-day running of the project. In smaller organizations or on minor projects, these tasks may also be taken on by the Project Manager.

How is a program different from a project?

A program is wider in scope than a project and will usually encompass several projects and may involve broad policies. Program Managers can employ Project Managers to run various parts of the program while bringing them all together to meet the program goals. This may also involve Program Coordinators taking on a similar role to Project Coordinators but at a higher level. A Program Manager is more senior than a Project Manager and will report either to a Program Director or directly to the CEO.