Scrum.org - PSPO

What’s the difference between a Product Manager and a Product Owner?
A Product Manager focuses on the why and what of the product. They own the product strategy, roadmap, and long-term vision, working across departments like marketing, sales, finance, and design to align business goals with customer needs.

In contrast, a Product Owner focuses on the how and when. They manage the product backlog and work closely with the Scrum team to ensure the right features are delivered in the right order.

As a Product Manager with enterprise experience, I’m always looking to deepen my understanding and sharpen my skills—especially around the nuances of product ownership. That’s why I turned to Scrum.org, co-founded by the creators of Scrum, to get a more grounded and practical grasp of the framework.

Despite their credibility, Scrum.org isn’t as widely known as organizations like Scrum Alliance or Scaled Agile. That said, the quality of instruction speaks for itself.

I took the Professional Scrum Product Owner I (PSPO I) course through one of their recommended partners, Unstuck Agile, and was thoroughly impressed. Our trainer, Chris, brought deep expertise and created an engaging virtual experience for a diverse group of learners. Four days was the right amount of time to cover the content thoroughly, and Chris supplemented the course with valuable study materials to help us to successfully prepare for the PSPO I exam.

I’m glad I invested the time in understanding Scrum from a product ownership lens—especially with guidance from those who helped shape the framework in the first place.