An effective agile product development team has fewer formal reporting structures and focuses on ongoing work and collaboration. This means that the product manager’s role may be less formal, but the level of accountability is still high. Balancing these responsibilities is an art and will vary by team dynamic.
Product owners are a bridge between business and development teams:
In an agile product development environment, a product owner bridges the gap between the business and development teams. Their role is to communicate and collaborate with stakeholders to understand the customer needs and design the product accordingly. Product owners must be good communicators and possess agile modeling skills. They must have a good understanding of all stakeholders and have the ability to manage their own time and resources. The main responsibility of a product owner is to articulate the business and technical needs of the target customer and ensure the development team delivers on those needs. Product owners must have a thorough knowledge of the business and technical aspects of the product and must be able to manage expectations and prioritize features in the product roadmap.
As a key member of a scrum team, a product owner is responsible for the quality and delivery of the product. A product owner must have an extensive understanding of the product and its stakeholders, as well as the organizational culture and needs. They must be able to coordinate and synchronize all of these elements. In addition, a great product owner must be knowledgeable, available, empathetic, and decisive.
They help teams align on the business plan:
Agile product development helps teams align on the business goals and objectives by using a vision-first product roadmap. The vision-first roadmap shifts the focus from features to outcomes, capturing the narrative of what the product will do. The product roadmap also provides visibility to the executive team, giving them context around the team’s initiatives.
Agile teams are notoriously nimble, so building a roadmap can be challenging. While a product roadmap is essential for the long-term health of a product, it must be accurate. If it’s outdated by the time it’s shipped, stakeholders and customers are likely to be less than happy. Agile helps reduce this risk by letting the team focus on high-level goals.
As a product manager, you’re responsible for keeping your team aligned on the business plan while ensuring that the project stays within budget and schedule. Having an open dialogue with the team will help you keep a focus on the business plan while enabling ongoing collaboration. In addition to keeping the team aligned on the business plan, an agile product manager is also accountable for the success of the business. This person is often the core stakeholder of the product team and has a deep understanding of the market.
They reduce risk:
A core value of an agile product development model is the ability to identify and mitigate risk throughout the development process. This approach allows an organization to mitigate risk and minimize waste throughout the delivery cycle. In addition, an agile team is able to quickly address any issues that arise, such as missing information or a team member is unavailable for a critical task.
