The person responsible for defining product features, prioritizing the development backlog, and making decisions about what gets built. They represent the voice of the customer and stakeholders to the development team.
Formalized in Scrum methodology in the 1990s, combining 'product' from Latin 'productum' (something produced) and 'owner' from Old English 'agnere' (to possess). The role emerged as software teams needed clearer business decision-making authority.
Product Owners are often called the 'single wringable neck'—meaning they're the one person accountable for product decisions! This concentration of authority was designed to eliminate the committee-based decision-making that slowed down many software projects.
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