Some days, I feel like a translator, a mediator, and a visionary—all before lunch. But that’s what being a Product Owner is all about.
My day kicks off with a cup of black coffee and our daily stand-up at 9:00 AM sharp. It’s a quick sync with the dev team working on our Drupal-based platform. We’re building a tool that lets internal teams easily spin up B2C websites for different diseases, treatments, or therapeutic areas. Every sprint feels like we’re solving real problems for both patients and healthcare professionals.
In the stand-up, we go around the (virtual) room:
- Developers share updates—what’s done, what’s in progress, and any blockers. One developer mentions an issue with the drag-and-drop feature for site templates. I make a note to follow up later.
- QA flags a bug that slipped through—the content approval flow is glitching for some users.
- I update the team on shifting priorities from yesterday’s stakeholder feedback, ensuring we’re all aligned on what’s most important.
Once the stand-up wraps up, I turn my attention to feedback from one of our internal teams. They’ve flagged that the content approval process feels too clunky and slows them down when launching new websites. It’s a recurring theme, and I’m already thinking about how we can address it in the next sprint.
Juggling Stakeholders and Sprint Planning
By mid-morning, I’m fully in stakeholder mode. My first meeting is with the marketing team. They’re excited about launching a new campaign for a diabetes treatment and need a microsite live in six weeks.
Their enthusiasm is infectious, but they’ve packed their wish list with features that could derail the timeline. I gently guide the conversation toward prioritizing what matters most for the launch. By the end of the meeting, we’ve aligned on the MVP for the microsite, and I’ve added action items to the backlog.
Next up is a session with one of our UX designers. We’re finalizing wireframes for a dashboard feature that will help internal teams track key performance metrics, like visitor traffic and engagement, for the websites they create. It’s looking great, but I’m cautious. Before committing resources, I suggest we run the design by a pilot group of users to ensure it truly meets their needs.
At noon, it’s time for sprint planning. This is one of my favorite parts of the job because it’s where everything comes together: the product vision, team capabilities, and user needs. I walk the team through the prioritized backlog, explaining the “why” behind each story. For example, the content approval flow bug is now a top priority because it’s been a pain point for multiple teams. After some discussion, we lock in the sprint goals, and I leave the meeting confident that we’re making meaningful progress.
Problem-Solving and Forward Thinking
Post-lunch, it’s heads-down time. First, I jump on a quick call with a front-end developer who’s stuck on a customization issue for the disease-specific site templates. We brainstorm a couple of solutions and decide to loop in one of our Drupal specialists for additional input. It’s moments like these that remind me how critical collaboration is in this role.
Next, I dive into roadmap planning. Our long-term goal is to make this platform scalable across multiple therapeutic areas and languages. I pull up analytics to understand which features are driving the most engagement. For instance, the site templates have been a hit, but the content approval tool—not so much. This data helps me prioritize what’s next on the roadmap.
Mid-afternoon, I get a Slack ping from the QA lead about a blocker they’ve uncovered in the staging environment. It’s a critical issue that could delay our current sprint. I pause what I’m doing, jump on a call with QA and the lead developer, and we work through a solution. It’s not glamorous work, but these moments of quick problem-solving are essential to keeping the team on track.
Wrapping Up and Looking Ahead
The day winds down with backlog grooming. I review new feedback from stakeholders and internal users, add detailed acceptance criteria to a few stories, and clean up duplicates. It’s a constant balancing act: addressing immediate needs while keeping an eye on the bigger picture.
Before logging off, I send a quick update to leadership about our sprint progress. They’re particularly interested in how quickly teams are adopting the platform and whether we’re on track to meet our quarterly goals. I also jot down a reminder to prep for a demo later this week. Demos are always a highlight for me—there’s something so satisfying about showing stakeholders how their feedback has turned into something real and impactful.
The Best Part of the Job?
For me, it’s knowing that every decision I make, every conversation I have, ultimately contributes to a tool that empowers my colleagues to create meaningful digital experiences. In the pharmaceutical world, that means helping people better understand their conditions and treatment options. It’s a mission that feels bigger than any one day’s to-do list.
By the time I close my laptop, I’ve worn a dozen hats: strategist, problem-solver, collaborator, and advocate. It’s exhausting, sure, but it’s also incredibly rewarding. And with that, I gear up to do it all again tomorrow.
