a·gen·tic a·gil·i·ty

Hiring a Product Owner? Avoid copying job specs from the internet

TL;DR; When hiring a Product Owner, do not rely on generic job descriptions; a true Product Owner drives product success by setting vision, prioritizing value, collaborating closely with teams, making data-driven decisions, and maintaining accountability. Delegation is necessary, but the PO must remain responsible for outcomes, not just manage tasks. Review your job specs to ensure they focus on leadership and product impact, not just administrative duties.

Published on
1 minute read
Image
https://nkdagility.com/resources/-p1bBjBS0bA
Subscribe

Hiring a Product Owner? Don’t just copy-paste a job spec from the internet. A real PO isn’t just a requirements collector or project manager—they own product success.

Here’s what a strong Product Owner actually does:

And here’s the hard truth: one person alone cannot do all of this at scale. POs delegate, but they remain accountable. If a PO is just taking orders, someone else is actually running the product—and that’s a problem.

If your PO is buried in admin work instead of driving outcomes, you don’t have a real PO. You have a backlog secretary.

What’s the biggest gap in most Product Owner job descriptions you’ve seen?

Also published on: LinkedIn
Smart Classifications

Each classification [Concepts, Categories, & Tags] was assigned using AI-powered semantic analysis and scored across relevance, depth, and alignment. Final decisions? Still human. Always traceable. Hover to see how it applies.

Subscribe

Connect with Martin Hinshelwood

If you've made it this far, it's worth connecting with our principal consultant and coach, Martin Hinshelwood, for a 30-minute 'ask me anything' call.

Our Happy Clients​

We partner with businesses across diverse industries, including finance, insurance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, technology, engineering, transportation, hospitality, entertainment, legal, government, and military sectors.​

Microsoft Logo

Microsoft

Alignment Healthcare Logo

Alignment Healthcare

Capita Secure Information Solutions Ltd Logo

Capita Secure Information Solutions Ltd

Lean SA Logo

Lean SA

NIT A/S

Hubtel Ghana Logo

Hubtel Ghana

Illumina Logo

Illumina

Sage Logo

Sage

Philips Logo

Philips

Freadom Logo

Freadom

Schlumberger Logo

Schlumberger

ALS Life Sciences Logo

ALS Life Sciences

MacDonald Humfrey (Automation) Ltd. Logo

MacDonald Humfrey (Automation) Ltd.

Big Data for Humans Logo

Big Data for Humans

Bistech Logo

Bistech

Trayport Logo

Trayport

Healthgrades Logo

Healthgrades

DFDS Logo

DFDS

Nottingham County Council Logo

Nottingham County Council

Department of Work and Pensions (UK) Logo

Department of Work and Pensions (UK)

Ghana Police Service Logo

Ghana Police Service

New Hampshire Supreme Court Logo

New Hampshire Supreme Court

Washington Department of Transport Logo

Washington Department of Transport

Royal Air Force Logo

Royal Air Force

Lockheed Martin Logo

Lockheed Martin

Workday Logo

Workday

Genus Breeding Ltd Logo

Genus Breeding Ltd

Philips Logo

Philips

ProgramUtvikling Logo

ProgramUtvikling

YearUp.org Logo

YearUp.org