Product Owner

- 01-12/2020

Responsibilities:

Managing and prioritizing product backlog tasks
Creating user stories for developers
Supervising product development stages

The Daily Life of a Product Owner in an Advertising Agency: Challenges, Responsibilities, and Digital Product Realization

Working as a Product Owner in an online advertising agency is a role full of dynamic challenges, responsibilities, and constant managing the process of creating digital products. Every day brings new tasks to complete, meetings with teams and constant communication with stakeholders. My responsibilities as a Product Owner include not only prioritizing tasks and creating user stories but also overseeing the stages of product development and ensuring that the project delivers value to the customer. In this article, I would like to introduce what my daily work looks like, what challenges I face and what makes the role of a Product Owner in an advertising agency so demanding but also rewarding.

1. Managing and prioritizing tasks in the product backlog: The heart of the Product Owner role

One of the main responsibilities in my role is managing the product backlog. The backlog is a list of tasks, features and fixes that are needed to create a product. Every day I analyze this backlog, assess priorities and decide which tasks should go first. Tasks can come from different stakeholders, such as clients and marketing teams, so it's important to effectively manage these expectations.

Prioritization is key because not everything can always be done at once. I often have to balance customer needs, business requirements, and the team's real capabilities. Depending on the project, some tasks may be more urgent, others more strategic, but they all need to align with the business goals and product vision.

I often use different prioritization methods, such as MoSCoW (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won't have) or the Kano Model, to help me assess the value of individual tasks. Each task must have a clear purpose and deliver value to both the client and end users. It’s a challenge that requires constant analysis of needs and adjustments to priorities in response to changing conditions and resources.

2. Creating user stories: Translating requirements into specific tasks for the team

As a Product Owner, my job is also to create user stories for the development team. User stories are short descriptions of functionality from the end user’s perspective that help developers understand what they need to create to meet specific needs. Each user story includes a goal, acceptance criteria, and an explanation of how the functionality should work in practice.

Writing good user stories is an art. They need to be detailed enough for developers to know exactly what they need to do, but not too extensive to overwhelm the team. Often, when working on user stories, I need to talk to the team to make sure they understand all aspects of the functionality, as well as answer their questions about the requirements.

Creating user stories is not only about communicating technical requirements but also about ensuring that the solution meets the real needs of users. I often meet with stakeholders to better understand their expectations and then transform them into specific product requirements.

3. Overseeing product development stages: Working in cycles and adjusting the strategy

Product development is an iterative process that requires constant supervision. I monitor progress daily, participate in meetings with the team, and make sure that the project is heading in the right direction. As a Product Owner, I am responsible for ensuring that each stage of the project is completed on schedule and in line with quality requirements.

We often encounter challenges related to product development. For example, during implementation, technical issues may arise that require revision of the plan or change of priorities. Sometimes, the client's needs also change, and I have to react quickly by adjusting the backlog and making corrections in the process.

Sprints are one of the main tools we use in our agency for product development. Each sprint is a short period in which the team implements a specific set of functionalities. As a Product Owner, I am responsible for providing clear requirements at the beginning of the sprint, as well as for evaluating the results at its end. Regular team meetings, such as daily stand-ups, allow me to keep track of progress and respond to any issues.

4. Problems and challenges I encounter every day

The role of a Product Owner involves many challenges that require time management, communication, and flexibility. Here are some of them:

Managing stakeholder expectations: One of the biggest challenges in my role is balancing the expectations of various stakeholders – customers, creative and marketing teams, as well as the company's management. Everyone has different priorities and goals, and I have to find a way to meet those needs while still keeping an eye on the core product goals.
Changing requirements: In an advertising agency, we often work on very dynamic projects. Clients can change their requirements as the project progresses, which means I have to be flexible and ready to respond quickly. Sometimes that means changing backlog priorities, and other times revising the entire product concept.
Time and resource management: I often work on several projects at once, which requires effective time management and the ability to delegate tasks. This requires good planning and maintaining high-quality communication with the team.
Maintaining quality: It often happens that time or resource pressures mean that some functionality can be delivered in a shortened form. As a Product Owner, I have to ensure that the final product meets quality and usability requirements, even if we encounter difficulties.

5. Summary: The Role of a Product Owner in an Advertising Agency

Working as a Product Owner in an advertising agency is a role that requires not only technical skills, but also excellent communication, work organization, and decision-making skills in a dynamically changing environment. My daily responsibilities include managing the product backlog, creating user stories, and overseeing product development stages. However, the most important aspect of my job is ensuring that each product I create with my team meets user needs and delivers real business value.

The challenges I face are inevitable, but they are what make this job so rewarding. Each project is not only a technical challenge, but also an opportunity to create solutions that have a real impact on the client's success in the digital space. It is a job full of passion, continuous learning and adaptation to the changing world of online advertising.