10 Difference Between Software Project and Normal Project

How Software Project Management Is Different

 The biggest difference between software and the products of other kinds of projects is it's not physical. Software consists of ideas, designs, instructions and formulas. Creating software is almost entirely a cognitive activity. The stuff we can see and measure, from code files They stand in for the real stuff, vs. the other way around. Still, software only matters when it appears as something real, even as barely real as colored squiggles on a computer screen. Maintaining that connection from thought stuff to real stuff is one of software's peculiar challenges.In comparing the management of different projects, the first trap that many people fall into is that they do not differentiate between managing the technology and managing the project process. Certainly there is a lot of difference between managing how concrete is placed and how the interface in a software development is placed on a computer screen. 

But how much difference does that make to managing either project in terms of scope, quality, time, cost, risk and so on?

You can see both, even though you may not be able to see the technological processes behind either. Nevertheless, yes, there are differences but they have to do with the sophistication of the technology involved and the types of people needed for the work. For example, construction is considered to be "well established" while software development is "recent, and technologically advanced", but is certainly not unique in this regard. 

S.No	Feature	Software Project	Ordinary Project
1	Tangible	Not Tangible	It is tangible
2	End Product	Not clearly defined	Very clearly defined
3	Production	No fixed production plan, difficult to monitor and track	Fixed production plan which can be tracked
4	Productivity	Productivity varies greatly with change in technology or worker	Productivity does not vary much
5	Project Methodology	Varies widely based on project	Typically standard
6	Management methodology	Managing a software project is more managing interpersonal communication and less administration.	It is more about maintaining schedule and good administration
7	Transfer of Ownership	The transfer of software is tricky as the organisation doesn’t own the hardware which runs the software	Transfer is easy as the company own the project till it hands over
8	Multitasking	Difficult to multitask the resources	Production resources can be used for multiple projects
9	Personalisation	It is very easy to change product as per customer requirement at any time.	Can be personalized to a certain extent, but difficult in the middle of the project
10	Leadership	Software Projects need leaders and managers, not just administrators.	A capable administrator is enough to run an ordinary project.