Data Product Owner: the conductor of Data Strategy

At a time when data has become the fuel of digital transformation, companies are seeking to extract maximum value from it. But often, this data remains compartmentalized, under-exploited and disconnected from real business issues.

Technical teams build sophisticated pipelines, data scientists create models, but the link with business needs remains blurred. The result? Little-used dashboards, insights that don’t find their audience, data investments whose ROI is hard to justify.

The problem isn’t technical. It’s organizational and strategic: what’s missing is a role capable of transforming data into concrete, adopted, value-creating products.

This is where the Data Product Owner (DPO) comes in, a strategic role that combines product vision, data expertise and agility.

The Data Product Owner: a strategic role in moving from data to value

The Data Product Owner is first and foremost a Product Owner, but applied to the world of data. He bridges the gap between the world of data and business needs. He’s not just a technical project manager managing a technical backlog, but a strategist of Data enhancement.

It defines a business-oriented vision for Data products, whether :

• Steering dashboards to improve decision-making

• Data APIs to feed applications

• Predictive models to anticipate trends to anticipate trends and optimize processes

• Data platforms to democratize access to data to democratize access to data within the organization

Its objective? Create value from data, by aligning Data initiatives with the company’s overall strategy.

Key missions of the Data Product Owner

1. Define data vision and strategy

The DPO translates business needs into data objectives. He or she must understand the business challenges, identify priority use cases and formalize a clear roadmap.

2. Prioritize and manage the backlog

Like any Product Owner, he manages a backlog. But here, the elements are data features: ingesting new sources, creating indicators, setting up APIs, and so on. Prioritization is based on business value, technical complexity and data quality.

3. Guaranteeing quality and compliance

Data only has value if it is reliable and compliant. The DPO ensures quality, traceability and compliance with regulations (GDPR, security).

4. Manage delivery and adoption

He coordinates the data teams (engineers, analysts, scientists) and ensures that the products delivered are used and bring value. Adoption is a key KPI for success.

Why is the role of the Data Product Owner strategic?

Without a product-oriented vision, data projects risk remaining technical and disconnected from business needs. The DPO ensures that every data initiative contributes to :

• Improving decision-making ;
• Optimizing processes ;
• Create new services.

It is the bridge between data and business value.

By systematically placing the business need at the heart of every initiative, the Data Product Owner transforms data from an often abstract technical subject into a real driver of transformation and competitiveness for the company.

Conditions for success in the role of DPO

For the Data Product Owner to be fully effective, certain conditions must be met:

Clear positioning within the organization

The DPO must have recognized legitimacy, both with technical teams and business departments. He or she is neither a mere relay nor an executor: he or she is a product decision-maker.

Close to the business

The DPO cannot work in silos. He or she must be in regular contact with the business units, understanding their challenges, constraints and priorities.

Structured data teams

He orchestrates, but he doesn’t do it alone. He needs competentdata teams (engineers, analysts, scientists) with whom he can collaborate effectively.

Mature data governance

Without clear governance (quality, security, compliance), the DPO will spend his time putting out fires rather than creating value.

An executive sponsor

Data transformations affect the entire organization. The Data Product Owner needs the support of a sponsor at management level to remove obstacles and drive change.

SQORUS and its Data Product Owner offer

At SQORUS, we have recognized the growing importance of this role and launched a dedicated Data Product Owner offering to support our customers in the implementation of high value-added data products. This offer adapts to customer needs and ensures a smooth transition to optimized management.

Our aim: to help companies transform their data into levers of performance and innovation.

Conclusion: DPO, a role that cannot be ignored

In a world where data is at the heart of competitiveness, the role of the Data Product Owner is set to become essential.
He or she is the guarantor of the transformation of data into levers of performance, innovation and differentiation.

But it’s not enough to appoint a Data Product Owner. Appointing someone to this position without having structured the conditions for success (data governance, proximity to the business, competent teams, executive sponsor) risks creating frustration and limiting impact.

The role of Data Protection Officer must be part of a global approach to Data enhancement, with a clear vision and an assertive positioning within the organization. This is the only way for companies to truly transform their Data into a competitive advantage.

At SQORUS, we help companies set up and optimize the role of Data Product Owner: from defining the scope of intervention to operational integration, to guarantee a measurable impact.