So, who / what is a Product Owner?
…So What is a #ProductOwner (PO)?
A PO is responsible for maximising the value of the product, or the value delivered to the customers and the business, resulting from the work done by the Development Team.
The Product Owner is the sole person responsible for managing the Product Backlog. TheProduct Backlog is the Product Owner’s tool and he or she is the ultimate responsible for it.
Managing a Product Backlog, usually includes:
- Clearly writing Product Backlog items, in the format of Epics, Features and User Stories.
- Ordering the above items, in a prioritised order (higher priority at the top) to best achieve goals and desired outcome.
- Optimising the value of the work the Development Team performs. — It is not always possible to deliver all top high priorities due to risk, complexity, effort involved. So, always challenge for the ‘optimal’ flow / priority.
- Ensuring that the Product Backlog is visible, transparent, and clear to all, and shows what the Team will work on next; and the customer will get next.
- Ensuring the Development Team understands items in the Product Backlog to the level needed.
There are many forms on how the Product Backlog can be managed. The Product Owner may do the above work, or have the Development Team do it. However, the Product Owner remains accountable for it, as mentioned above.
A good Product Owner has very good abilities in Slicing pieces of work (always vertically, and not horizontally); Prioritising pieces of work and saying “No” to whatever work or request that doesn’t add up to the Product vision.
The Product Owner is one person, not a group of people or a committee.
The Product Owner may represent the desires of a committee in the Product Backlog, but those wanting to change a Product Backlog item’s priority must reach out to the Product Owner, explain his / her reasons why and the PO decided, ultimately, what happens to that item.
For the Product Owner to be successful, the entire organisation must empower and respect his or her decisions.
The Product Owner’s decisions are visible in the content and ordering of the Product Backlog. No one should persuade or force the Development Team to work from a different set of requirements.
Having trouble with the Product Owner role?
Reach out to an Agile Coach.
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