Johannesburg, 26 Jun 2015
If scrum is so simple, then why is being a great product owner so difficult?
Through IQ Business's experience on agile transformations at a team and enterprise level, the company often hears the following complaints from product owners:
1. The Scrum Guide does not tell you how to be a product owner
While the Scrum Guide contains the roles and responsibilities of the product owner, it does not contain a list of every possible problem or situation a product owner could encounter. It is only 16 pages, after all... Most of the learning happens "on-the-job", to address context-specific situations not covered in scrum and agile literature.
2. 'Business as usual' commitments place extra pressure on the product owner
In an ideal world, each scrum team would have a dedicated product owner... In reality, most product owners have commitments outside the world of scrum. So, not only are you partially allocated to the team, you also have a limited amount of time to stumble your way through constructing a prioritised product backlog in order to provide the necessary direction for the team.
3. There is limited practical understanding of the product owner role - even in the agile community!
In South Africa, there are three certified scrum masters for every one certified scrum product owner! Out of the 305 South African certified scrum masters, only 14% hold a certified scrum product owner certification. As a result, many conversations about the role of the product owner tend to focus on 'what' the product owner should be doing, rather than the 'how'. This theoretical focus makes it difficult for a product owner to know if they are doing the right thing at the right time.
4. It can be challenging to find the right amount of time to dedicate to the role
Not only do you need to dedicate time to engage with the team on a daily basis, you also need to find the time to learn how to perform the role effectively. If you can't find the time to eat your lunch, where are you going to find the time to attend a two-day training course on how to be a product owner?
5. It can be hard to apply what you've learned to an actual project
While most product owner courses teach valuable techniques, at some point you have to apply what you have learned. If this is left too long after the training, much of what was learned is forgotten. Another challenge comes from agile literature. Most examples focus on basic online applications, like an airline ticketing system. While these are useful to explain a simple concept, they do not translate to the huge, complex line of business systems encountered every day.
agility@IQ Business knows that being a great product owner is difficult... but it is possible! agility@IQ Business can help you get there.
The agility@IQ Business Product Owner Accelerator is a concentrated two-week hands-on engagement, designed to fast-track new product owners and assist in setting up teams for a successful start.
agility@IQ Business product owner specialist consultants assist with the creation of the project vision, through the construction of the product development roadmap, all the way to the formation of the initial product backlog - using tried and tested techniques and tools. Not only will your product owners receive on-the-job training (eliminating the need to attend an offsite training course), the techniques taught will be validated using a current agile project in your environment.
The company fast-tracks new product owners by helping to apply newly acquired skills and techniques to current projects! After all, it's not just about learning the theory; it's about doing the right work, and doing that work in the right way.
On a recent new engagement, the company encountered a project that had multiple product owners. The team was struggling with the direction of the project, due to conflicting priorities. After spending some time exploring the role of the product owner, and with a little coaching, a single product owner was appointed. IQ Business is now working with the product owner and stakeholders to create a clear vision, product development roadmap, release plan and prioritised backlog to set up the team for success. Visit agility.iqbusiness.net and contact the company to find out how it can do the same for you.
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