Product Owner vs. Product Manager: Understanding the Key Differences between the Two

The use of Agile and Scrum methodologies is creating new roles within an organization. The most prominent roles include product owner and product manager. Most individuals are confused between the two. Some believe that both are the same, while some actually know the real difference between the two.

The fact remains that both of them are high-paying jobs, and each of them has its own unique roles and responsibilities. Most professional product owners and product managers have completed SAFe® Agile certification online training.

Who is a product owner?

• Product owner is a role that is clearly defined in the Scrum framework.
• He/she performs a managerial role in building and refining the product.
• He/she ensures that the maximum value of the product is delivered to the audience with the help of the scrum.
• The Product Owner is accountable for delivering top-notch and the best quality products to the end users whenever they require it.
• A Product Owner is also responsible for improving the business value of the product by developing and maintaining a product backlog accurately.
• If you aspire to become a product owner or pursue a career in the same field, enroll for SAFe® Agile certification training online.

Roles and responsibilities of a product owner

• Defining the product backlog
• Manage and prioritize the tasks in the product backlog.
• Support various internal teams, specifically product engineering.
• Creates a vision for the product.
• Translates the product strategies into actionable tasks.
• Accepts iteration increments.
• Understanding the requirements of the market and customers.
• Remain accessible to answer questions related to the product for Scrum teams.
• Oversee the product development stages
• Participate in all the Scrum Events
• Anticipating the needs of the clients.
• Serves as a primary liaison between stakeholders and customers.
• Evaluate the progress of product development to ensure that the development team is on the right track.

Now that you know who a product owner is and their roles and responsibilities, here are some of the skills that successful Product Owners need to have.

Communication

• The most crucial skill that a product owner needs to possess, acquire, or achieve mastery of is effective communication.
• A product owner is required to communicate with all the stakeholders all the time.
• The product owner also needs to communicate the pain points of customers to the product development team (Scrum Team).

Interpersonal skills

Interpersonal skills help product owners interact and communicate with everyone, both individually and in groups.

Decision-making

The product owner is required to make decisions quickly every day. Decision-making skills help them in making the right decisions.

Excellent collaborator

The product owner needs to be an excellent collaborator since he/she is required to liaise between various departments and between stakeholders and customers too.

Problem-solver

Building a product is not easy. Hence, the product owner needs to have a problem-solving mindset, which can help him/her overcome various challenges.

In addition to these, a product owner must have a great degree of empathy, technical expertise, a constant learning approach, and leadership skills too. Many of these skills can be acquired through SAFe® Agile certification online training for product owners.

Who is a product manager?

• A product manager occupies a key role in product management.
• He/she plays a strategic role in product development, market launch, and continuous improvement of the company’s products.
• A product manager is one who focuses on long-term goals, product vision, and market trends, and is responsible for identifying new opportunities in the market.
• He/she is strategically focused on the implementation of the requirements and the product development process.
• He/she also keeps track of the market changes and competition to provide relevant feedback based on the learning.

A product manager’s roles and responsibilities

• Create a vision for a product.
• Drive the product vision along with the team.
• Strategic planning.
• Gather data and create product roadmaps.
• Prioritize product launches.
• Understand the customer requirements.
• Manage the product’s entire lifecycle and roadmap.
• Build strong relationships with the teams.
• Communicate with internal and external stakeholders.
• Strike the perfect balance between business and technical requirements.

It is clear that the roles and responsibilities of a product owner and a product manager are different. Whether an organization has a product owner or product manager, or both, the focus must be to deliver value to the end users and drive business value. Designations do not matter, but what matters are the long-term goals and the end result.

Are you planning to be the best product owner or product manager in your existing organization or looking for a change of job? SAFe® Agile certification training will give you a competitive edge over others in the market.

By choosing a SAFe® Agile course online, you will gain the skills and develop the expertise to perform the role of a product manager and product owner at the enterprise level. AgilityPAD is one such reliable and trusted organization offering SAFe® Product Owner/Product Manager certification online training conducted by qualified industry experts.

Don’t miss this chance. Get in touch with AgilityPAD to learn more about the SAFe® POPM online certification course.