Playing a role and being able to play it right are two very different things. One is just to do what needs to be done, the other is having the required traits to do it in accordance with best practices. This applies to all roles.
What about the role of a Product Owner, which a mandatory core role in any scrum project? What traits are needed for that role and more importantly how do these traits impact successful completion of projects? This article explores these questions in depth to come up with ideas that you may find useful.
We have created a summary of essential skills that is in-line with the Agile Manifesto needed to be an effective Product Owner:-
Curiosity
A sense of curiosity must prevail among Product Owners all the time, every time. They should always be curious to ask the “Why” and “What if” questions from the customer as well as the development team during a new product development. The “Why” questions to customers probe deep into what values the project is expected to deliver to the client and the “What if” questions to the development team to reinforce the principle of continual improvement among members of the development team.
Once a better understanding is established, the Product Owner integrates information to provide insights and ideas that can be used to draw appropriate conclusions. This will lay down the foundations for delivering value to the client after the client requirements are met during a new product development.
For example, the Product Owner probes deeper into the client’s mind by asking pertinent questions on how the proposed product or service requested will add value to the business. By generating probing questions due to his or her curious nature, the client gets an opportunity to think through how the proposed product features can serve as a conduit towards adding business value in the long run.
Adaptability
To adapt means to be willing and to be able to change. It means being open to ideas and at the same time be fixated on ensuring value is delivered under all circumstances. There must be a willingness to learn, unlearn and relearn as the project unfolds. This inspires the need for collaboration with the customer, the development team and all stakeholders throughout the project. The focus remains the same, realizing the project vision but the desire to do so as situations change calls for appropriate and decisive adaptation.
An example of adaptability is when the Product Owner takes into consideration the risks and issues associated with the project, based on feedback from the development team and integrates mitigating actions into the Product Backlog to minimize the risk of delay. Hence the Product Backlog is continually adapted as and when needed to ensure that the client gets the best value possible throughout the project.
Consistency
A Product Owner’s strength lies in the ability to focus on exploration over and above exploitation. He has to be consistently engaged in exploring new and better ways of delivering long term value to the client, rather than exploiting opportunities for maximizing short term profit. This calls for consistency in exploring new and better ways to do what is being done, irrespective of the drumbeats for short term profits coming from above.
An example being the identification of challenging acceptance criteria that stretches the expertise of the development team so that they come up with innovative solutions that deliver superior outcomes for the clients that was envisaged earlier.
Clarity
In Scrum, clarity is a critical commodity due to uncertainty. Clarity in Scrum is a fundamental requirement for curiosity, adaptability and consistency. After asking the “what if” and “why” question to satisfy the Product Owner’s curiosity, answers that are forthcoming need to be clarified. This involves collaborative interaction among all relevant stakeholders.
This may indicate the way forward but adaptation becomes necessary as circumstances change. Here again, there must be sufficient clarity on what is changing and how it could affect project success. In addition, clarity of the changing expectations is required for ensuring consistency in delivery of product and services to meet those changing requirements.
For example, a backlog item for a ride sharing company is to provide a receipt to users via email. What is the broader story? Maybe the user is a busy person on the way to the airport, and she needs to create an Excel expense report based on that receipt. The Product Owner needs to have clarity of the different stakeholders being affected by this project. With that information, he/she can provide additional information to the development team that will be helpful to them.
Decisive
The final characteristic is being decisive. In all projects, you always need someone to make tough decisions especially when the environment is so volatile. A good product owner must be able to make a decisions in a short time under pressure. This decisiveness can only be achieved by combining all 4 of the characteristics above. Only with clarity and adaptability can a product owner know what to prioritize in a Product Backlog during a Sprint Review meeting.
It is important for the Product Owner to know how to manage feedback and guide the development team forward. Most of the time, they will have to say “no” to the business and their feedback. Developers should not develop every single idea and feedback that the business can think of. Otherwise, the whole development process will take too long, project will lose focus, and the developed solution might not actually solve the business problem. Thus, it is important to communicate effectively and say “no” in a way that will not discourage or upset the business. The Product Owner should explain why a feedback item will or will not be developed and effectively move the team towards productive conversations.
The traits listed above help the Product Owner to consistently provide value to the customer. To learn more on Agile Project Management, feel free to join our 2 day Scrum Master Course on 14- 15 February 2023. Click here to find out more.
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PMP, SMC, CST,
June 2020
Author Profile
Asst. Prof. Dr. Rumesh Kumar is a:-
- Certified Professional Trainer;
- Certified Knowledge Manager;
- Certified Project Management Professional;
- ScrumStudy Certified Trainer; and
- Certified Tetramap facilitator.
He specializes in areas of agile project management, knowledge management and organizational diagnostics. He has trained hundreds of participants, from multiple organizations such as Tan Chong Motors, Shell and Maxis Communications to become
Scrum Master Certified.