The Product Champion

If you look at the history of software failures, the vast majority can be attributed not to technical mistakes but to mistakes in understanding what should be built, what customers will pay for, and what the system really needs to do. When there is a difference between the mental models of the customers and users of the software and those who develop it, a system will never achieve its full potential. It is the product champion-also known as product manager or product owner-who is responsible for building the right thing. Mary Poppendieck describes successful product champions in companies with which she has worked, focusing on how their role is defined, perceived, and executed. Discover the patterns of product management that have succeeded and those that have been less than successful while learning ways to train and empower product champions that help development teams build the right thing-the first time.