The Product Owner Role is the Key to Software Development Success
Product Owners are the glue that holds software companies together, especially those using the Agile methodology. Their responsibilities include tracking the progress of a project from the onset, and communicating with all parts of the team in order to ensure a smooth process.
Here are 4 main Product Owner responsibilities, and why they are absolutely essential to every software or tech-enabled organization.
1. Communication
Product Owners are responsible for liaising with stakeholders as well as the members of the development team. They help in facilitating a clear product goal with stakeholders and making sure this information is efficiently communicated to the team. This role is vital for creating a successful end product. This also involves participating in daily scrum meetings with the team.
2. Creating and Maintaining a Backlog
Product Owners also take on the role of implementing an accurate schedule and backlog in order to keep track of what needs to be done in the coming weeks, as well as what needs to be done in the bigger picture. A backlog is an unprioritized list of all bugs, user stories, and technical tasks that the development team needs to complete, and includes tasks requested by stakeholders and external clients.
This allows for a more seamless process for everyone involved in the project.
3. Market Planning
With the assistance of organization stakeholders, participation in the creation of a full market plan can help companies assess possible risks, priorities and goals. Product Owners are responsible for making sure the market plan is well-researched and accurate.
4. Reporting Post-Launch Information
A product’s life cycle isn’t over once it's launched. Product Owners make sure to keep track of how a product is performing post-launch so that accurate user and customer feedback can be taken into account for future projects.
Product Owners typically embody and promote an Agile approach in organizing and prioritizing business needs. Transparency and efficient communication skills are a primary aspect of this role. When these skills are combined with a competent cross-functional team that includes a range of members with different expertise, your software company will flourish.
SRG’s Approach
At SRG we have a full cross-functional team that works alongside our customers’ Product Owners to provide best-of-class product solutions. Our most successful software development efforts have all included a strong Product Owner role in the mix. For start-ups, SRG Project Managers have served as proxies for Product Owners, but once organizations get past early start-up, we highly encourage our customer partners to recruit an experienced and professional Product Owner to position them optimally for future success.
We have an adaptable, organic Agile approach and our internal and external communication skills are excellent . We have decades of remote development experience that ensures that we know exactly how to find the perfect solution for you. Talk to us today about your software needs.
Written by:
Maxine Wesley
