Product Owner

The Product Owner, also referred to as Product Manager, Service Request Manager, Project Owner, or simply Owner, is the voice of the customer. Typically, the Product Owner is responsible for understanding customer needs and communicating those needs to the Kanban Team members. In initiatives involving large-scale efforts, there may be multiple Product Owners. Additionally, the Product Owner may sometimes take on the role of Kanban Manager for an initiative.

The key responsibilities of a Product Owner include:

1. Gathering requirements and ensuring that the initiative’s vision aligns with the needs of relevant stakeholders, the Product Owner is responsible for providing clarity and direction to the Kanban Team members.
2. Tracking the progress of work using metrics such as cycle time, lead time, and throughput to monitor the team's performance and make prioritization decisions.
3. Participating in continuous improvement activities to reflect on the effectiveness of workflows or processes, including gathering feedback from stakeholders and identifying opportunities for improvement.