Product Owner
What exactly is the difference between a Product Owner and a Project Manager? The first one is part of a project team when it comes to agile project management. A manager on the other hand operates within the classical approach. However, the latter is not part of this article and hence not investigated in detail. Nevertheless, the drawing of comparisons is reserved.
Product Owner as a key stakeholder
A product owner is the key stakeholder of an agile project management style. This person’s duty is to communicate with the users, the customers or clients of a developed product or software, he or she represents the information hub between the management and internal departments, e.g. marketing & sales, customer support and research & development. The product owner has a great overview of the topics discussed, issues, and obstacles hindering the project’s progress. Whenever a decision is requested, the product owner has to outweigh advantages and disadvantages concerning a possible course direction since he or she is the one having all information required in order to make choices. The stakeholders’ opinion is embodied in one person’s power.
The product owner is in response of stating a clear vision of a project, defining requirements and preferred outcomes, planning and monitoring the workflow in the product backlog. In regard to this, the product owner has to combine an understanding of each department’s competencies, must show an understanding of user friendliness, user experience, disposes of leadership skills and knows about basics in software development. Only then it is likely to deliver a perfect solution to the user or customer.
Communication is key
In order to keep the project in time, the product owner should be able to lead his/her team according to the given objectives, tasks and responsibilities. A regular exchange of information, project status, feedbacks and drawbacks is as important as signing off work results and preparing roadmaps and release plans. In addition, the product owner has to keep an eye on budgeting, the business model, strategic and financial topics. Occasionally this tasks also includes mediating between two or more parties since work structures, opinions or experiences are not on the same level. However, knowing the importance of every team member and stakeholder, is a key driver of a successful outcome. Appreciation and objectiveness must be a prerequisite for the position of a product owner.
Moreover, motivation and ambition have to be conveyed to the project team and its members. Praising words can be as strong as financial incentives. Never to forget to also give feedback on the work that is done. A problem is worth a discussion, otherwise no one is able to learn from it.
The owner and his product
In contrast to a project manager, the product owner has a deep understanding of product design and functionality. This person has to collect information solutions towards an increase of efficiency or user experience. On the other hand, he also has the right to reject features that do increase business value. Possible impacts and effects have to evaluated in detail in order to take and justify decisions.
If required the product owner takes part in daily scrum sessions to keep himself/herself informed and deliver information if asked. However, it is not necessary to moderate those scrums. Neither is he or she a developer or software engineer to work on the sprints or to be part of the design team. The product owner is doing the strategic work behind a project, he or she is generalist by its nature to keep the overview of the project. Only if you step back from the little details you will see the big picture.
Comments