On the city’s building-permit product, residents seeking faster lawful permits, counter staff who operate the workflow, and the development-services director who funds the work all claim to be “the customer.” How should the Product Owner distinguish those roles?

In civic products the beneficiary, operator, and funder often differ. Residents seeking permits typically receive the outcome value; staff users operate the system; sponsors provide funding and political cover. The Product Owner must hear all three, but value decisions should not automatically follow the loudest funder or the most frequent operator request. Collapsing roles hides trade-offs that advanced Product Ownership has to make explicit.