What's the difference between a product manager, a business analyst, and a end-user representative?
Asked by KAnalyst101
In the Web/Software/Systems development world, what is the difference between a product manager, a business analyst, and a end-user representative? It seems they are all different names for the same position, but maybe not.

Best Answer:
Every company defines them differently, but here's what my company would say: PM: Responsible for understanding the work the user is trying to do and then translating that into requirements for development. Also responsible for demos of the product, overview for marketers to create copy for websites and other customer materials. Business Analyst: Broad title that could cover any kind of job where there is a lot of data to be gathered "analyzed" and summarized. In software, this is often something around product usage, website visits, etc. End User Rep is not something I've heard of, but it sounds like it is either Technical Support or something more like a Customer Advocate that plays a more narrow role than a Product Manager. The CA would really just champion customer issues to drive resolution and wouldn't be as focused as the PM on creating the right product for the future. Overall, my belief is that the PM is one of the most important positions in a software company, but if you are just starting out, pick anywhere in a good company that you are excited about and it will all work out over time.