Product Owner vs Product Manager: What does a Product Manager focus on?

Business & Management
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#1

In simplest terms, the product manager is responsible for prioritizing what to build next.

Some of the activities of the product manager can be grouped in the following categories:

  • Discover what users need by conducting user research and unveiling critical insights.
  • Create the product’s long-term vision and strategy.
  • Align the team around a cohesive product roadmap.
  • Decide what features to build next.
  • Deliver features that function and delight customers.
  • Champion the team, partners, and external stakeholders to ensure alignment around overall strategy and direction of the product.

The product manager is a holistic, high-level role with responsibilities that encompass the entire product lifecycle — from customer discovery to product delivery. The product manager drives the product strategy by understanding customer needs, the product, and the overall market.

A good product manager is expected to be a customer spokesman, product visionary, team champion, and strategic leader.

Due to their multidisciplinary role and strategic focus, product managers are often called “mini-CEOs.” Although from my personal experience, I believe the role may sometimes require the PMs to become the CIOs (Chief Information Officers), and in some unprecedented situations, even Product Janitors.

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