It can be difficult to decide whether you need a product owner or product manager for your business. They are two very different roles. You must understand the difference between them before deciding.
The best way to make this decision is by knowing what each role entails. You must also understand how they work together with other team members.
In this guide, we will compare these two positions in detail. This is so that you can choose which one is right for your company!
So whenever you’re ready to learn more about the differences between the two in greater detail, keep reading.
The Product Owner
The product owner is responsible for the overall direction of a product. They are involved in developing and sustaining it, from gathering requirements to defining scope. They also tend to be very hands-on with their work.
Their duties may include:
• Gathering requirements or user stories
• Defining goals and success metrics
• Facilitating workshops
• Scheduling releases and setting priorities among tasks
They have ultimate responsibility for what gets built. This is based on company strategy, customer feedback, market trends, and other factors.
The person should have strong business knowledge. They must have a deep understanding of how technology works.
This role requires extensive experience working directly with engineers (and possibly designers). However, there’s no need for deep technical knowledge.
Furthermore, they work closely with the company’s stakeholders, including product designers and marketers.
Who Should Hire A Product Owner?
Product owners are best suited for companies that need a visionary with deep knowledge of the company’s business strategy. They may be less suitable in situations where there is more engineering than product work or if your company needs to get something off the ground quickly and you’re not willing to invest time in developing a good understanding of what consumers want.
This person should also have excellent communication skills. They’ll often serve as the main point of contact between different departments. Thus, it’s important that they can communicate effectively across teams.
In addition, because this role takes up most of their day-to-day responsibilities, it may not be wise to hire one if your company has limited resources (people or money).
The last thing worth noting about product owners is that they need to represent its strategic vision. In this sense, product owners should strive to understand how technology works and have a good grasp of engineering practices. They don’t necessarily need deep technical knowledge.
What Certifies A Product Owner?
A product owner should be able to show that they have a deep understanding of how technology works. This doesn’t mean they need technical knowledge, but understanding engineering practices and trends are important.
Additionally, this person will usually manage their own time. So make sure you hire somebody who has excellent organizational skills!
Without this, you are leaving your company to the draught of disorganization. Your organization mustn’t be disorganized.
Product owners also need to know what it takes to succeed in this role. Some companies require certification or training courses before hiring someone for this position.
How to Vet A Potential Candidate for A Product Owner?
If you’re looking for a Product Owner, then it will be best if they have a deep understanding of product design. They must also understand business strategy, and user experience (among other things).
This person should also have excellent communication skills. This is so that they can coordinate tasks.
They need to understand your company’s long-term vision. They also need to understand customer needs.
This is because they’ll prioritize features when designing new ones. They will also be making improvements to existing ones.
It’s also up to them whether or not they want their team members to help with some parts of their job. Preferably those who are capable enough. Still, it won’t always work out perfectly since the Product Owner role is ultimately responsible for everything.
If they delegate design work to another, the other must-have graphic and UI experience. This is so that their proposed changes are aligned with company objectives. For instance, increased conversion rates.
The product owner does not necessarily have a designated role in every business. Still, there should always be someone on your team who understands how to create an excellent CX.
They must remain conscious of what other things need attention. For instance, long-term vision or business strategy. This is true no matter what department they’re employed by.
Since this can be a challenging responsibility, you should also find someone very organized. Even though the list of tasks may seem overwhelming at first glance. It doesn’t take too long before they become second nature.
The Product Manager
The product manager role is responsible for maximizing the value of a particular business unit. They play an integral role in gathering and assessing customer feedback, analyzing market trends, forecasting growth opportunities, and other tasks that enable them to understand how customers use products while maintaining profitability goals.
Their duties may include:
• Gathering requirements from stakeholders; this work can overlap with the responsibility of the Product Owner if they do not exist separately
• Setting long-term vision and strategy
• Prioritizing features based on customer needs as well as company objectives
They have ultimate responsibility for what gets built. They are more likely they’ll delegate some parts of their job to other team members.
The first thing to consider when deciding whether you need a product owner or product manager is how your company functions as well as its size of it. For larger companies with many employees, roles may be more specialized.
There will likely be both a product owner and a product manager on staff who work together closely. In smaller businesses, these responsibilities may fall to one person.
It’s also important that whoever takes on this responsibility understands technology if they are tasked with handling all aspects of development themselves so that your products can remain competitive while not being confined by outdated technologies.
Regardless of what suits your business, they need strong communication to coordinate tasks. They also need a deep understanding of the customer (so that they can prioritize features).
It is possible to do both roles. However, each person needs to be clear about their responsibility. They must communicate well with other team members.
Who Should Hire A Product Owner or Product Manager?
If your business is engineering-heavy, a product manager may be the more appropriate choice. Product managers are also best suited for companies that need a visionary with deep knowledge. Somebody who has an understanding of their business strategy and long-term vision.
This person should have excellent communication skills and an understanding of technology. This is so they can prioritize features.
Unlike the Product Owner, it’s more likely this role will delegate some parts of their job. They will occupy team members with the work they can perform. This is so they’re not required to take on all tasks themselves.
However, whoever takes on this responsibility needs good organizational skills. They must keep track of different projects at once. They must do so while prioritizing goals based on company objectives.
They need to have strong communication skills. This is to coordinate tasks and have a deep understanding of the customer. It’s also so products can compete without being confined by outdated technologies.
If you’re looking for someone who has these skills and is also responsible for gathering requirements from stakeholders, keeping tabs on deadlines, and other project management tasks, then a product manager may be right for you. The main difference between this role and Product Owner is that.
In contrast, the latter spend their time thinking about how to create an excellent user experience. They do so with the existing current technology. They also consider how new features will tie in with ongoing work.
It’s more likely for a product manager to delegate some parts of their job to others. This is especially true while they are busy focusing primarily on long-term vision.
They have ultimate responsibility.
What Certifies A Product Manager?
A product owner should be able to show that they have a deep understanding of how technology works. This doesn’t mean they need technical knowledge. They do need to understand engineering practices and trends.
However, they should still have some experience with technology as well as an understanding of customer needs. Technology is an underrated asset, and nowadays, businesses must have technology-driven processes. Automation is the name of the game, you’re wasting time and money by manually doing everything.
This person will usually get their first taste of being a product manager when they’re working at one company, then moves to another where there isn’t already a designated individual handling these responsibilities.
Often, they’ll step into this role themselves. They will ask to become more involved if needed (especially since it’s so important). As long as you find someone capable enough, whether or not your new hire carries any specific certification doesn’t matter.
How to Vet A Potential Candidate for A Product Manager?
Just like the Product Owner, your candidate should have strong communication skills. They also need to be organized and juggle multiple projects. They must do so while prioritizing goals based on company objectives.
They should understand customer needs to prioritize features for development. They also need to know what differentiates their product from others. This is so that they can remain competitive without compromise by outdated technologies.
They need to take a long-term view of the business strategy to not predict things too far into the future but still know how everything ties together over time.
This person doesn’t necessarily need formal training or certification. It’s more about finding someone with knowledge and experience who has proven themselves. They don’t need someone who simply reads books about the subject.
You should also consider what type of company you’re running. Think about how much time they’ll have to spend on project management tasks. Hence, these are typically assigned to a product manager.
To be effective in this role, your candidate needs to understand customer needs and what differentiates products. This is done to remain competitive without being confined by outdated technologies. It’s more likely for them to delegate some parts of their job. Still, unlike the
Product Owner, there is less responsibility involved with managing development. This is true when compared to other aspects of the business strategy.
Unlike the Product Owner, they don’t need to have formal training or certification. Instead, look at examples where they’ve proven themselves through actual work. You don’t want someone just reading books about the subject.
The person in this position needs to juggle multiple projects. They must prioritize goals based on company objectives. They must still communicate with customers and team members.
There is less responsibility for managing development versus other aspects of the business strategy. Unlike Product Owners, they don’t need to have formal training or certification.
Product Owned, Product Managed
In conclusion, while both positions are equally beneficial in their way. Both a product owner and a product manager have their utility.
Still, there is less responsibility involved with managing development. This is true when compared to other aspects of the business strategy. If you hire an individual that has proven themselves capable through actual work, you will reap the results.
Furthermore, it’s important to find someone with knowledge and experience who has referenced proof.
If you’re interested in hiring either and having trouble deciding, you can get in touch with us, and we will make your decision easier.
