I've been searching for a software architect position (or something similar). Job titles aren't always the best indicator of what a company wants out of a role. Many of these roles involve some aspect of product ownership. I'm usually a bit cautious because in order to be successful as a product owner there are five things needed:
- Bandwidth
- Having enough time to work with the Scrum team, manage the product, and work with the users, customers, and stakeholders.
- Power
- Having the authority to manage the stakeholder needs, order and refine the product backlog and product needs, and the ability to accept the product increments.
- Knowledge
- Having a deep understanding of the product, who the users and stakeholders are, what they find valuable, and what the organization’s goals are for the product.
- Interest
- Having a strong desire to be the product owner and being able to maximize the value of the product.
- Vision
- Having a great understanding of what the product is, where it should be going, and the goals for the product.
These attributes are a pretty big deal and an employer needs to make sure that each one of them is supported to ensure success of the product owner and to improve the odds of the product's success.
