A few months ago, I received a call from a headhunter offering me a job. I had recently finished a book on product management and the headhunter thought my expertise would be an asset to their client. I politely declined the offer; after all, I had just started my own business and didn’t need to add one more job to my plate.
Then a few days later, I got an email from the headhunter offering me a similar position with another company. This time, I reconsidered. Why put myself through another job search when I could leverage my existing network and skillset?
In the past, I’ve worked for companies like Google, SAP, and Twitter. Now, I realized that these positions didn’t fulfill a crucial element of my career: the ability to be a technical product owner. So, I decided to learn how to be one. And boy, was I glad I did!
The Difference Between a Product Owner and a Manager
A product owner is the person responsible for the whole product lifecycle. This can include everything from the requirements gathering phase to the deployment and support phase. In some cases, a product owner can also be the person who finds the initial customers, organizes the marketing activities, and creates the sales funnel.
A manager is, as the name suggests, a manager. A product manager, a project manager, and a business analyst are some of the typical job titles associated with a manager. A manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations of a project or business. Although a product owner and a manager have a lot in common, there are still differences.
The biggest difference between a product owner and a manager is accountability. A manager is ultimately responsible for the project’s success. This means that he or she is ultimately responsible for the decisions made during the course of the project. A product owner, on the other hand, can pass the buck. This is especially important in cases where the product owner is also a member of the development team. The buck stops with the product owner when it comes to bug fixes and enhancements. Once the project is delivered, the manager is responsible for the ongoing support and expansion of the product.
Why Become a Technical Product Owner?
Although there are a lot of responsibilities that come with the job title of a product owner, there are also a lot of perks!
One of the biggest perks is the ability to own a piece of the product that you are responsible for. Let’s say, for example, that you are the product owner of a payroll product. You will get to see the product yourself, understand it, and, above all, fix it if it has any defects. This is a perk that cannot be found under a manager’s umbrella.
Owning a piece of the product that you helped create also gives you a chance to influence the product’s features and, in some cases, create new products. If you are interested in a career in software development, you can find a job working for a product owner who controls part of the product that his team developed. This can also mean that you will be working on a project for a long time and, therefore, have a huge amount of ownership over the final product.
The Training Curriculum
No person can become a technical product owner in a day. It usually takes several months, if not a year, of working for a product owner to understand what is entailed in the job. Therefore, if you are starting a new job search and want to become a technical product owner, your best bet is to search for the nearest Certificate Program in Product Management or Program Management. With these certifications, you will learn the theory and the necessary skills needed to become a successful technical product owner. Some of the courses that you can take to train for this position include:
- Product Management: A Practical Approach
- Program Management: A Practical Approach
- Building & leading a Product Team
- Managing Complex Projects
- Software Project Management
- Principles of Project Budgeting
- Product-Market Fit
- The Software Product Lifecycle
- Continuous Delivery
- Lean Product Development
- Advanced Software Testing
- How to Write a Business Case
- How to Pitch a Business Idea
After you complete the above-listed courses, you can look for opportunities in your chosen job search engine with a clear idea of what you are getting into. Then, and only then, can you decide whether or not this is the right job for you.
Even though there are a lot of perks to working for a product owner, this is a high-stress job. You will be working long hours and, possibly, putting in some interesting hours, as well. In case you are looking for an engaging career path, consider a position working for a product owner. However, if you are looking to reduce your stress level, consider a role working for a manager.