[SimonPStevens]

This is a good comment, but It's easy to generalise one specific experience that works successful and mistakenly think it applies universally.

You may be right within your company, but I can offer an alternative anecdote.

I work at a company that makes energy trading risk management software. It's complicated and niche, and the customers are varied and have very different mindset to develops and testers. We have traders, hedge funds, energy generators and retail suppliers all with different use cases.

We absolutely need a product manager who has the time to dedicate to understanding the customers needs, understanding the changing landscape of the market and understanding the competition. This is not something we can just expect a developer or tech lead to do through ownership.

I'm certain your way works for many though.