What is the difference between Product Owner and Technical Project Manager?

 

Aspect	Product Owner (PO)	Technical Project Manager (TPM)
Primary Focus	Maximizing product value for users and business	Delivering the project on time, within scope and budget
Owns	The Product Backlog and feature priorities	The Project Plan, schedule, and technical execution
Key Responsibilities	- Define product vision - Prioritize backlog - Write user stories - Accept/reject features - Gather feedback from users/stakeholders	- Manage timelines, risks, and dependencies - Coordinate across tech teams - Report progress - Align technical architecture with delivery goals
Decision-Making	Decides what gets built and why (based on value)	Oversees how and when it gets delivered (based on feasibility)
Technical Involvement	Low to medium	High – often understands system architecture, APIs, dev ops
Stakeholder Focus	Internal users, customers, and business leaders	Engineers, QA, infrastructure, external partners, and leadership
Reporting Line	Often reports to a Product Manager or business unit	Often reports to Engineering, PMO, or operations leadership
Agile Role	Official Scrum role	Not defined in Scrum – typically used in hybrid or scaled Agile environments

🧠 Summary

• The Product Owner is the voice of the customer and decides what should be built based on business value.

• The Technical Project Manager ensures that the product gets delivered on time and correctly, often handling the complex coordination of technical work.

💡 Think of the Product Owner as defining the “what and why,” while the TPM manages the “how and when.”