Product owner job description is must-to-know information for every product owner to be. All the details related to the product owner roles and responsibilities are discussed in this blog. The product owner is the person who is in charge to set, prioritize, and accept the work provided by the customer. This person then makes the product backlog item and sits with the team during the sprint planning meetings. Further product owner will connect with the customer and make them understand the business value. They act as a bridge between the team and the customer
I am sure you are all puzzled to look at the topic for this blog. You even wonder if I am a recruiter and posting job descriptions. You are right and wrong. I am not a recruiter but going to post a job description. There is a catch and you know what? I am not going to post a typical JD with so many jargons to make the job applicant feel humiliated. No offense on a recruiter though. I am going to explain to you about the roles and responsibilities of a key stakeholder in agile and scrum projects.
The title of this blog “Product owner job description” already revealed that stakeholder and I need to give you an intro to this person. We are all aware that he/she is the backbone of the project. Whether you are entering into agile projects or you already have experience doesn’t matter. You may aspire to grow in your organization and then you must know about this person. This key person does so much for product development. Let us understand this person’s role and contribution to the project.
We will start building from scratch to give you a clear picture of this person.
What is a product owner?
First things first, so get to know about this person both technically and in layman’s term. Why do we call this role as product owner? Why not a product leader or a manager? Before we move forward I would prefer to refer this person as a PO in our blog as they are addressed by in the IT world.
A leader is a person who efficiently leads the team towards a goal. On the other hand a manager is a person who manages resources including people well to deliver the goal of an organization. But, a PO is both the leader and the manager who owns the product to be designed, developed and delivered. I would like to let you know that in layman terms, owning is possessing and that comes with lot of personal touches. PO is a person who owns and never compromises on the quality and hence we have designated this person as an owner but neither as a manager or leader. However, you must know that a PO is both a manager, leader and much more.
Technically, PO is the person who is accountable for the product and makes decision about what needs to be developed. They ensure every feature of the product to be released is on the first cut defined clearly with the team. In complex terms, a PO is the value maximizer who works toward maximizing the product value given by the client by working closely with the team to achieve the business goal.
Product owner requirements and qualifications
Data reference – Payscale.com
I know these are printed on the product owner job description. Every JD does have all these requirements. So let us not really stop here and come we shall move forward to understand the actual roles and responsibilities of a PO to evaluate if we fit in the bill to play the role of PO.
Top 10 Roles and Responsibilities of the PO
Also, the product owners roles and responsibilities do not stop with the 10 but must keep abreast of the best practices and upcoming agile and scrum trends to succeed.
Technical Product Owner Job Description
So far we discussed agile product owner job description. There is additionally a need for a technical product owner in few projects. This person requires unique skill sets apart from having hands-on experience in agile projects. As the name implies he/she must have technical knowledge in strategic conversion of the product.
Combined with the above 10 responsibilities a technical product owner must be able to talk technically with the development team as well as educate customer in nontechnical language. Technical PO should act as a bridge between the technical team and the customer.
Must to do - 4 duties of a PO
Apart from the listed many duties which are not just specific to PO in an agile team and are little generic as well. Hence I would like to throw some light on 4 most specific duties of a PO across all levels namely junior, regular, senior, and expert.
1.Defining the vision
Visualizing the vision is the first step in product development. A PO must correctly visualize defining the vision. It is because the PO is the person who bridges the gap between the end-user and the internal team. Therefore PO must define the vision as it is expected by the user to communicate the same to the team.
2.Prioritizing needs
Ok, once the vision is clearly defined, it is important to start the work, but before that prioritize the work for effective results. Especially a PO must know how to prioritize the product backlog and maximize the outcome. Every sprint meeting must discuss sprint planS and there the PO must plan about the backlog item and its priority.
3.Overseeing development stages
After the vision is defined, needs are prioritized, then comes the development work. Work in progress must be monitored by the PO at every stage to understand the status. Also, if the PO closely works with the team then seeking clarification will be easy and hence the delay can be reduced. I would suggest a PO be part of daily scrum to fix all issues then and there.
4.Evaluating product progress at each iteration
Finally, evaluation of the progress in product development must be checked during every sprint meeting. This will effectively help in not just the release of the product on time but save time and cost as well. PO can check and reprioritize stories to drive the team towards the end goal.
How to become a Product Owner?
After we have understood the role, qualification, requirement, and duties of a PO, now we must already feel like becoming one. Am I correct? Then let me tell you how to become a PO.
Beyond education, duties, and experience follow these simple steps in your daily agile project and scrum meetings to qualify for a PO.
Above all, resolve conflicts and learn to escalate when required and your end goal should be to deliver product per user need. You cannot become a PO overnight but practice these skills within your team in all projects you take part irrespective of you being a developer or any other in your team. Soon you can become a PO to make your dream come true with these qualities built.
What challenges does a Product Owner come across?
Let us assume you have now become a PO. Life is not a bed of roses and we would want to highlight the challenges faced by the PO to prepare you in that arena as well.
Conclusion
Experience is the primary requirement for a PO. But, it is understood that gaining practical experience can happen only when someone finds a job as a PO. It is more like a chicken egg story. Companies look for experienced professionals to hire and individuals look for a job to earn experience.
You can find a solution to this ever-growing challenge in the job market by applying for a certified scrum product owner course. We are glad that you know the reasons to do CSPO certification. Don’t wait and just take the first step towards your successful journey in career as a product owner.
Name | Date | - |
---|---|---|
Certified Scrum Product Owner | 23 Aug-25 Aug 2022, weekday | View Details |
Certified Scrum Product Owner | 03 Sep-04 Sep 2022, weekend | View Details |
Certified Scrum Product Owner | 20 Sep-22 Sep 2022, weekday | View Details |
professionals trained
countries
sucess rate
>4.5 ratings in Google