10 qualities every product owner needs for successful nearshoring

More and more organisations are discovering the power of software development through nearshoring: outsourcing development work to a team in a nearby country. This approach provides direct access to highly skilled IT talent at cost-efficient rates. As the crucial link between the client organisation and the remote team, the product owner plays a decisive role. How can a product owner ensure that a remote team performs optimally and delivers maximum value? In this article, we present ten qualities a product owner needs to turn nearshoring into a strategic success.

In nearshore software development, the development work is carried out by a team based in a nearby country. One of the key advantages of nearshoring is that business culture and work ethic in countries such as Romania, Spain and Portugal are comparable to those in the Netherlands. In addition, time zone differences are minimal, allowing organisations to collaborate smoothly and without significant delays with an external development team.

A fixed and essential part of every development team is the product owner, who in most cases is provided by the client organisation. The product owner, typically operating from the Netherlands, translates business objectives into concrete software solutions. This role requires more than process management alone: it calls for leadership, vision, decision-making authority and, above all, a proactive mindset.

Ten qualities of an effective product owner in nearshoring

The effectiveness of a product owner in a nearshoring context is not determined by tools, but by people skills. The way of working together, the style of communication and decisiveness in decision-making are the factors that truly determine the success of a remote development team.

1. Think in value, not features

One of the key responsibilities of a product owner is translating business objectives into product features that deliver measurable value. An effective product owner does not define success by a list of delivered functionalities, but by the impact on customers and the organisation. For every backlog item, a strong product owner asks: “What measurable value does this deliver?” Developing ‘nice-to-haves’ alone consumes time and budget. In a nearshoring context – where every development cycle must be maximally efficient – this is not a luxury, but a necessity.

2. Master the context, not just the backlog

The product owner is the connecting link between business, customer needs and technology. Knowing what is being requested is not enough; an effective product owner truly understands why. This is essential in nearshoring, where the development team works remotely and may not be fully immersed in the client’s company culture. Deep domain knowledge and insight into the end user enable the product owner to make decisions that align with strategy, resulting in sustainable and innovative solutions.

3. Communicate with absolute clarity at every level

An excellent product owner excels at translating abstract business goals into concrete technical requirements – and vice versa. In remote collaboration, where informal conversations at the coffee machine are absent, explicit communication is the glue that holds everything together. The product owner discusses ROI with executives, pain points with users and technical feasibility with developers. This clarity prevents costly misunderstandings and ensures seamless alignment.

4. Prioritise boldly, with transparent reasoning

Not everything can be done at once. A strong product owner has the courage to say no based on data, product vision, impact and risk analysis. When requests come in, they are carefully weighed. Crucially, the product owner not only analyses but also has the mandate to decide. By transparently explaining decisions, the product owner creates understanding and buy-in among all stakeholders, internal and external alike – preventing ambiguity and delays.

5. Build trust through predictability

A team that trusts its product owner is more motivated and performs better. This trust is especially important when the team works remotely; dropping by someone’s desk is not an option. A product owner must therefore build trust through expertise, predictability, consistency and clear agreements. Availability at agreed moments to answer questions and resolve issues is equally important. Teams that wait days for feedback lose momentum. Predictability creates stability and continuity within the development team.

6. Work as part of the team, not above it

Physical distance can easily turn into mental distance. An effective product owner actively counters this by positioning themselves as a full-fledged team member, not as an external opdrachtgever. This means listening to technical input from engineers, involving developers early in decisions and explicitly valuing their contributions.

At times, stakeholders or others may try to contact the development team directly. This disrupts workflows, distracts from core tasks and undermines prioritisation. A strong product owner prevents this by shielding the team from direct third-party interventions.

In addition, a product owner should not step into the spotlight or claim all the credit after a successful delivery. Software development is a collective effort. Successes are celebrated together, and everyone who contributes deserves equal recognition.

Mutual respect and a shared goal turn individuals across different locations into one cohesive, high-performing development team.

7. Continuously invest in domain knowledge

A product owner who deeply understands the domain – whether logistics, healthcare or e-commerce – can perform fundamentally better. This knowledge enables faster decision-making, more relevant user stories and priorities aligned with market dynamics. It is built by continuously immersing oneself in the user’s world: observing processes, tracking market developments and staying open to expert feedback. Ultimately, this domain knowledge is reflected in a widely supported product vision.

8. Proactively facilitate feedback loops

Continuous improvement is an ongoing process, fuelled by structured feedback from end users, stakeholders and the development team. An effective product owner deliberately organises these feedback loops: planning user tests, facilitating regular stakeholder reviews, taking retrospectives seriously and leveraging data analysis to understand behaviour. By treating feedback as an essential information source, the product owner can adjust product direction in time – based on real-world data rather than assumptions. 

9. Combine analytical thinking with empathy

Effective product owners move effortlessly between hard data and human needs. They support decisions with numbers while recognising that behind every statistic is a person and a context. In nearshoring, empathy also means understanding the challenges faced by a remote development team. A strong product owner empathises with all stakeholders: from the CFO safeguarding budgets to the developer grappling with legacy code and the end user.

10. Take ownership from A to Z

A strong product owner does not only feel responsible for completing a sprint, but takes full ownership of the product’s ultimate business impact. This responsibility does not end at release. It means adjusting course when needed, communicating transparently about successes and setbacks, and acting proactively when risks arise. This deep sense of ownership is what distinguishes a task manager from a true product leader who guarantees the success of the collaboration.

The product owner in practice at NetRom

Product owners who possess these qualities build sustainable and successful relationships between the business, the development team and the end user. The results are measurable: faster time-to-market, a more stable team and lower costs due to reduced rework.

Every day, more than 500 university-educated and highly motivated IT specialists work from the NetRom Campus in Romania on smart solutions for our clients. With over 25 years of experience, we have seen that the quality of the product owner largely determines both the speed and the strategic impact of software development.

Does your organisation lack the capacity or experience to fulfil the product owner role effectively? In that case, NetRom provides an experienced proxy Product Owner who gathers the required domain knowledge from internal and external stakeholders. This enables the proxy product owner to successfully steer the project, while your organisation remains focused on its core activities.

Discover how NetRom can realise your digital ambitions

We know better than anyone how to make software projects succeed together with product owners. Curious to learn what we can do in the field of software development for your organisation? Get in touch with us via the form below for a no-obligation conversation.