There is definitely a mix of product owner tasks in this list. I would say the following are either mixed responsibly or in some cases entirely on a PO:
> How to influence another team to use your solution instead of writing their own
> How to give up your baby, that project that you built into something great, so you can do something else
> How to communicate project status to stakeholders
> How to convince management that they need to invest in a non-trivial technical project
> How to craft a project proposal, socialize it, and get buy-in to execute it
> How to get information about what’s really happening (how to gossip, how to network)
There is also PM work in there but that I would say hits a little closer to the senior engineer.
I think those refer to technical projects initiated by an engineer. In many cases I've also initiated product ideas that I then discuss around the company to get feedback and momentum with so that the PO will accept it into planning.
Yeah and that’s why I added the caveat that these aren’t exclusive to a PO. And I’m sure there are differences at every org. I’m a senior at a small org and _before_ we had a PO I did do all that stuff. Now that we have a PO I only do that sort of thing internally with our team when we are planning and prioritizing our work for other groups. The farthest up I ever sell have to sell an idea is my own Director and I love it.
> How to influence another team to use your solution instead of writing their own
> How to give up your baby, that project that you built into something great, so you can do something else
> How to communicate project status to stakeholders
> How to convince management that they need to invest in a non-trivial technical project
> How to craft a project proposal, socialize it, and get buy-in to execute it
> How to get information about what’s really happening (how to gossip, how to network)
There is also PM work in there but that I would say hits a little closer to the senior engineer.