Product Manager vs. Product Owner: What's the Difference?

#productmanagement #productmanager #productowner
Learn about the differences and similarities between the product manager and the product owner role. Find out why the product owner role was introduced, how it is often misunderstood, and how the product owner in Scrum differs from the one in SAFe.
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0:00 Introduction
0:20 Origins of the roles
0:50 The responsibility of the product owner
1:04 Why Scrum introduced the role
2:57 Common product owner misunderstandings
3:59 Scrum product owner vs. SAFe product owner
4:37 Conclusions

[@VickyUrruela]

You have no idea how much your video has helped me and my team Roman. This is the exact narrative we were looking to convey for our services proposition. Thank you so much!

[@RomanPichler]

I'm glad that the video was helpful for you and your team Vicky. Thanks for sharing!

[@bernadette.q]

Thank you for this video. I got this question in one of my interviews and I was stuck. From my perspective, the responsibility overlaps, or at least from the organizations I have been part of because we do not have both roles. Your closing statement at 05:40 is definitely a mic drop and will quote this in my next interview.

[@RomanPichler]

Thanks for the feedback Bernadette. Glad the video was helpful!

[@seshubabusc]

This cleared all my doubts, thank you, Roman. You are truly a Guru in Product Development.

[@RomanPichler]

You're welcome. I am glad that you found the video helpful.

[@PM-ig9qp]

ROMAN, you are awesome. Good one again.

[@RomanPichler]

Thank you!

[@kurtjager4240]

Hi Roman i am very much with you adding never the less another perspective. 1. What if a product needs more then one Scrum Team to develop? A Product Owner is very helpful per Scrum Team, but he can not own the whole Product anymore independent from the scaling Framework. 2. I find it helpful that in this case a Product Owner is very much User focused (User Stories) on how to use eg. but not only (UX) (parts) of the Product and a Product Manager can focus more on the buyer of the product, what is very helpful in B2B may be not so much in B2C Products... Are this meaningful thought's?

[@RomanPichler]

Thanks for your comment Kurt. When a product is too big to be managed by a single individual, you have four choices: First, you empower end enable the development teams to take on some of the detailed, tactical product decisions. Second, you use a strategic product role (like the SAFe product manager) and a tactical one (like the SAFe product owner). Third, you employ roles that manage bigger product capabilities or features (like the Area Product Owner in LeSS). Fourth, you break up the product by unbundling one or more features or by creating product variants. None of these options is perfect; they all have benefits and drawbacks, as I explain in more detail in the following blog article:
www.romanpichler.com/blog/scaling-the-product-owner/
Hope this helps.

[@danalexandrubujoreanu1836]

Thanks for the clear differences between these roles, Roman! I know it depends on the organisation but it sounds like pursuing the CSPO certification will cover a lot more ground compared to SAFe Product Owner/ Product Manager certification? I'm currently considering one of these options. Many thanks

[@RomanPichler]

You're welcome Dab. I am not the best person to advise on certification. But I recommend finding a course that offers the right content and is taught by someone you respect. Hope this helps!

[@l_combo]

great video
- how do you see product roles working in a kanban context?
- how do you compare your views vs Marty Cagan's?

[@RomanPichler]

Thanks for the feedback Chris. Glad you liked the video. I don't think it matters if you use Scrum or Kanban. In both cases, it is important to understand who you is responsible for product success and who has the final say in the key product decisions. Regarding Marty Cagan's views, I recommend reaching out to him directly. But make up your own mind and determine which product roles you should use at your company.

[@mkg24]

Thank you for simplifying the differences between two and explaining it . This is very valuable Roman!Can you please explain how a BA role would fit in the development team and is it advisable to have Product manager , product owner and BA roles in one Scrum team?if yes how would the responsibilities be segregated?

[@RomanPichler]

Thanks for sharing your feedback and question Minal. I write about the business analyst in an agile, Scrum-based context in the following article:
www.romanpichler.com/blog/business-analysts-in-scrum/
Please leave a comment on the article if it doesn't answer your question, and I'll get bak to you :)