When organizations embark on an agile transformation — particularly one that includes Scrum or Large Scale Scrum (LeSS) — a critical moment arises: selecting the Product Owner. It’s a moment filled with implications, because this role is not just a title or a box to check. It’s a keystone. Choose the wrong person, and the entire system can collapse under the weight of misalignment, bureaucracy, and false progress. Choose correctly, and your teams can be empowered, focused, and truly customer-driven.
Unfortunately, many organizations continue to stumble at this critical juncture — placing individuals into the Product Owner role who, through no fault of their own, are fundamentally misaligned with what the job demands. Let’s compare two paths — one leading to dysfunction and disappointment, the other to clarity and value.
The Wrong Choice: A Product Owner in Name Only
In far too many cases, someone with a legacy title such as Business Analyst, Systems Analyst, Requirements Analyst, Project Manager, or even Portfolio Manager is assigned to play the role of the Product Owner. While these roles are often filled by competent, diligent professionals, they are optimized for different kinds of work — not product ownership.
These roles typically serve project or operational functions — not product-centric missions. Their focus is on activities like:
- Metrics collection and reporting (often rear-view mirror focused)
- Dependency tracking across siloed teams
- Tool administration and upkeep
- Coordination of developers and managing calendars
- Performance management — of individuals, not products
These individuals are not typically empowered. They are not influential in the organization. They are rarely the ones who set vision, define value, or are accountable for outcomes in the market. Yet, they are handed a title and a two-day certification course, and suddenly they are “Product Owners.”
This phenomenon has created a whole industry of certification and credentialing that gives organizations the comforting illusion of progress. In truth, it’s often just a burning of corporate budget in exchange for transactional agility — something that looks busy on the surface but is hollow at the core.
The result? Organizational theater. You get the ceremonies without the substance, the backlog grooming without the real prioritization, and lots of Jira tickets — but little customer value.
The Right Choice: A Product Owner with Strategic Muscle
Contrast that with the Product Owner who comes from a background where strategy, customer outcomes, and business value are part of the daily vocabulary. This might be a Product Manager, Head of Line of Business, Head of Marketing, Director of Sales, or Business Operations Manager.
These individuals are usually:
- Accountable for outcomes
- Comfortable saying no
- Deeply connected to customer needs and market trends
- Fluent in metrics that matter: ROI, KPIs, OKRs
- Responsible for shaping and executing product vision, mission, and roadmap
They bring the influence, clarity, and authority required to truly represent the customer and the business — the very essence of what a Product Owner is meant to do. They’re not proxies or note-takers; they’re leaders.
The Irony of It All
It’s ironic, isn’t it? So many organizations assign “leftover” roles — those who are merely available or need “something to do” — into the Product Owner role. Then they wonder why the model fails. “Scrum didn’t work for us.” “LeSS didn’t scale well.” “Agile wasn’t a fit for our culture.”
In truth, the model isn’t the problem. The inputs are.
As the saying goes: garbage in, garbage out. If you start with a disempowered, disconnected pseudo-owner, don’t be surprised when the system struggles to deliver coherent value.
The degree to which a company invests in properly setting up the Product Owner role is directly proportional to its chances of succeeding with Scrum or LeSS. It’s not a “nice to have” — it’s foundational.
Resources to Reflect and Recalibrate
If your organization is serious about making the most of its agile investments, take a closer look at what a Product Owner is supposed to be — and what they are not.
👉 Product Owners not proxies:
Ken Schwaber’s classic reminder that a Product Owner is not a requirements secretary, but a business leader.
https://kenschwaber.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/product-owners-not-proxies/
👉 The Scaled Product Owner:
Guidance from the LeSS framework on how to scale without diluting the role’s purpose.
https://less.works/less/framework/product-owner
Final Thoughts
The Product Owner role is not a throwaway assignment. It’s a strategic position that demands clarity of purpose, strength of influence, and deep customer empathy. Selecting the wrong person — no matter how well-meaning — is like handing the car keys to someone who’s never driven.
If you’re about to launch a Scrum or LeSS adoption, pause and ask: Are we selecting real product owners — or just giving out titles? The answer will define your success.
