What’s the difference between a product owner vs a product manager?

Understanding what makes these two roles different can help companies streamline their product development process and optimize outcomes. In this article, we will dive into the distinctions, similarities, core responsibilities and factors a company needs to consider when deciding whether to hire a Product Owner, a Product Manager, or both. The product manager and product owner roles are mutually important, yet distinctly different.

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On agile teams, the product owner manages sprints and participates in retrospectives. A Product Manager needs a blend of strategic vision, analytical expertise, and interpersonal skills to guide a product from concept to market success. Their role requires them to balance the needs of stakeholders, customers, and the development team while staying focused on achieving business objectives.

• Scrum is a subset of the agile methodology, which is—in simple terms—a way of working which breaks a project up into several short, repeatable phases.
• This job title was inspired by the Brand Manager role at Procter & Gamble.
• Companies should carefully decide which role to prioritize based on their current priorities and stage of growth.
• On her first day of work, Janet meets Noah and the two engage in an intense stare-off.
• The following provides a range of the differentiating functions of both roles.
• The product vision provides a clear picture of the product’s purpose, value proposition, and long-term objectives.

“Product Managers focus on product features”

During these discussions, they agreed that the focus Product Manager job of their organizations was too tilted toward planning and documentation and not enough towards the ability to pivot based on market feedback. The more empowered a Product Owner is, the better they can make good decisions for the product. Empowerment comes from having clear decision-making authority, a well-defined product, and strong organizational support. A Product Owner can’t drive value without having the trust and backing to make trade-offs and prioritization calls.

• In some organizations, especially in smaller companies, a single person may take on both the product owner and product manager roles.
• They work together to make sure the product’s features align with both business goals and customer needs.
• The product owner ensures that the product team is delivering the right features and maintaining quality.
• Products should be defined in a way that allows a single team—or a small set of teams—to deliver end-to-end value.
• The product owner is the main liaison and communicates with teams and stakeholders.
• In the end, product managers manage all the people related to the product to ensure everyone plays their part in releasing a fully beneficial product.

Key Responsibilities of a Product Manager

They own the product backlog and are responsible for its continuous improvement. Product Owners, conversely, are tactical executors who translate this vision into actionable steps for the team. They focus on the here and how to hire a software developer now, managing the backlog and ensuring each sprint adds value and moves the product forward in line with the Product Manager’s strategic vision. As a Program Manager my overall goal is to facilitate successful execution of strategic programs.

Certainly some of their responsibilities overlap, which can cause confusion to any scaling SaaS who sees far enough into the future. But there is a general consensus on the definitions for product owner and product manager. When there are several Product Owners at an organization, sometimes a Product Manager is established who is responsible for human resources functions. This person might handle hiring, performance reviews, and career development, creating consistency across multiple Product Owners.

Most importantly, user stories are framed in a way that emphasizes the user’s end goal. This helps to convey the value that a specific piece of work carried out by the developers will bring to the customer. Before we look at what a product owner does, let’s briefly explain what Scrum is. This will help us to understand the context in which product owners work. Nurture your inner tech pro with personalized guidance from not how to hire a software developer one, but two industry experts.

What is the main difference between a Product Owner and a Product Manager?

• The manager creates the product vision while the product owner translates that vision into actionable chunks (like separate feature backlog requests).
• Strong communication skills are essential because you’ll need to convey your vision clearly to different groups of people.
• The Product Owner is one person (not a committee) responsible in the Scrum Framework for maximizing the value.
• Their success relies heavily on their ability to persuade, negotiate, and collaborate rather than on hierarchical power.
• They’ll provide feedback, support, and advice as you build your new career.

Knowing which goals and deadlines should come first, which can wait, and which are highly urgent ensures that all project requirements will be fulfilled on time. A basic understanding of business is necessary, such as how to handle profits, budgeting, cash-flow, and other components of product development. Issues will arise in product development over everything from resources to politics. A good product owner must have the strength and wherewithal to engage with the development team and other parties when conflicts arise. Keeping the product moving forward is the top responsibility, and conflict resolution is useful.