A product owner (PO) is a professional in an Agile team that manages the product backlog. This is a crucial leadership role in the development process that works alongside other high-level positions, like product managers and chief technology officers (CTOs).
In this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn how to become a product owner. You will get to know more about this profession, the requirements involved, education paths available, estimated salaries, and responsibilities.
A product owner is responsible for creating and explaining the product vision. The development team must follow a guideline called a product backlog. This is a set of requirements used as a product roadmap for developers. It can be seen as a non-static to-do list based on the product goals.
The product owner’s duty is to create each backlog item, prioritize the steps, and communicate them to the development team. It is also their responsibility to ensure that the customers’ needs are met in the development process.
The role of a product owner often involves developing a product roadmap, which is a strategic outline to follow that summarizes the vision and directions for product development. The product owner is also the primary connection between the customers’ needs and the product development process.
They determine the products’ goals and create a list of requirements to meet those objectives. The product backlog must be mapped out and prioritized to improve communication within the development team.
According to PayScale, the average annual salary for product owners is $87,544. This salary steadily increases with experience. While an entry-level product owner earns an average of $68,316, a mid-career professional with more than five years of experience often earns over $95,000. More than 10 years of experience will allow you to earn about $108,000.
Becoming a product owner (PO) is an excellent career if you enjoy working in the tech industry and want to advance your career. This profession offers a high salary and comes with great job benefits. Here are some of the top reasons to become a product owner in 2021.
To become a product owner, you need to have a mix of experience and technical training. To be eligible for this role, you must have a college degree, project management experience, and proficiency in software engineering concepts.
A product owner’s experience provides various job opportunities in other roles. You can work as a business analyst, a product manager, or even as a chief executive officer (CEO). Take a look at the following positions to know more about these careers:
A business analyst uses data analysis methods to determine the best decisions to make in an organization. It can be implemented to improve current processes or to enhance a product. To become a business analyst, you must have a mix of technical and communication skills to bridge the gap between the IT and business departments.
A product manager is a professional who oversees the development process. They make sure every IT team member follows the company’s standards, timeframes, and budget. Becoming a product manager calls for expertise in several areas, including product strategy, product design, value propositions, and data analysis.
The chief executive officer (CEO) is the highest-level executive position in any organization. The CEO’s responsibilities include administering the company’s resources and making important corporate decisions. Your experience as a product owner could give you the skills needed for such a role.
A product owner has a leading role, which puts them in charge of overseeing the development process and ensuring everyone follows the appropriate steps to create a successful product. Some of the product owner’s responsibilities include determining a vision for the product, creating and prioritizing each product backlog item, and developing a roadmap for developers. Let’s explore a product owner’s key responsibilities in detail below.
A product owner is responsible for creating a plan of execution for the development team. This is the product vision they will have throughout the entire development process, which includes the customers’ needs, desired outcomes, timeframes, and development standards.
Another daily task involves developing, prioritizing, and updating the list of product backlog items. It is a list of activities that the team must deliver to obtain a particular outcome. This list of tasks must be prioritized and updated throughout the entire product journey. The product backlog will change whenever there’s a need for product enhancement or the customers’ needs evolve.
Developing a roadmap is essential to have effective communication with the team. It shows them why they’re doing what they’re doing, and demonstrates the logical reasoning for each task. This is also one of the product owner’s daily responsibilities.
A good candidate for a product owner position must have a list of technical and non-technical skills, including communication skills, logical thinking, team management skills, and proficiency in analytic tools.
Agile software development is a set of methods used to develop digital products efficiently in the software development process. These methods involve developing solutions that evolve throughout the entire development process. This means that developers learn to respond to change promptly.
A product owner must have project management skills. These skills allow them to delegate tasks, utilize time management methods, and prioritize activities to enhance the development process.
The Scrum framework is a subset of the Agile methodology on which the team creates a set of meetings, tools, and roles to organize the development process. The Scrum methodology helps an organization be more productive and in control of the product, as well as cope with change more efficiently.
Typically, it takes about six years to become a product owner. You need to have a bachelor’s degree in a computer science-related field, which takes about four years, and have at least two years of experience in project management.
Even though a bachelor’s degree is usually required to become a product owner, you can still pursue this career with a coding bootcamp. You can join a software development bootcamp to develop computer science skills, and complement that with an Agile/Scrum program to obtain valuable skills you’ll use for product management.
Yes, you can certainly become a product owner from home. You can start by getting remote training in an IT-related field, whether it is a college degree or a coding bootcamps. In addition, you can even begin building junior product owner experience by working remotely.
To become a product owner, you’ll need to follow the following steps. Keep in mind that this career path may not be the same for everyone, but this is the most common pathway for product owners.
To pursue a career as a product owner, you must obtain CS training, whether it is through a coding bootcamp, a technical program, or a college degree. You must understand essential software engineering principles to be able to communicate with the development team.
Since this is similar to a manager position, you must also get project management training and experience. Many companies will ask you to have previous experience managing a project or even require you to have a project management certification.
Having a certification is not a strict requirement in most companies, but it can be helpful when applying for a product owner position. You can pursue a project management certification or a credential in Agile/Scrum.
There are many schooling options for aspiring product owners, such as coding bootcamps, community colleges, and, of course, university programs. Below we take a close look at the main training options for these professionals.
Many schools offer web development programs to help you develop the skills needed to work in such a technical role. There are even schools that offer programs on the Agile methodology, which is a very valuable skill for a product owner to have. One of the most popular programs is the Agile and Scrum Bootcamp provided by General Assembly.
These institutions focus on training for trade occupations, so this might not be the best educational route if your goal is to become a product owner. It is possible, however, to find programs at vocational schools that teach software engineering, which could give you the foundation you need for a product owner career.
Community college is a low-cost option for getting software engineering training. You can join a computer science program and get hands-on experience training in the field while earning your associate degree.
Most companies will require you to have a Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in IT, Computer Science, or a related field. As this is a common requirement, we recommend pursuing at least a bachelor’s degree if you want to enter this field.
Getting a certification for a product owner position is a great way to advance your career. It’ll provide you with more career opportunities and boost your appeal to employers. Below, you’ll find some of the most relevant certifications for a product owner career.
The Scaled Agile organization provides this certification. It measures your ability to work with the Agile framework and also demonstrates that you have completed the accredited two-day training with a SAFe Program Consultant.
The Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO) is awarded by Scrum.org. This certification validates that you have the skills needed to engage with internal and external stakeholders, manage the product backlog, and understand customer needs.
The Project Management Professional (PMP) is an industry-standard certification provided by the Project Management Institute (PMI). This certification demonstrates that you have leadership experience in project management, working with Agile and hybrid methodologies.
In a product owner interview, the company might focus on three areas: your prioritization skills, your technical experience, and how you manage decision-making. The following question examples will help you prepare for a product owner interview.
You should definitely pursue a career as a product owner if you are interested in a tech leadership role and have computer science and project management skills. This is a profession that requires logical thinking, dedication, and excellent communication skills, all of which are compensated by a great salary and job security.