What is a Product Owner?

In Scrum, the Product Owner is accountable for the value of the product. They decide where the product is heading, order the Product Backlog and decide what the team picks up first. Together with the Scrum Master and the Developers, the Product Owner forms the Scrum Team.

The role in Scrum

Scrum has three accountabilities. The Developers build the product, the Scrum Master makes sure the team applies Scrum well, and the Product Owner makes sure the team works on the right things. The Product Owner is one person, not a committee. They listen to many people, but make the decision about the order themselves.

The difference with the Developers is clear: the Product Owner decides what is built and why, the Developers decide how. So the Product Owner gives no instructions about the execution. The image at the top of this article shows how the role sits between stakeholders and Developers.

What does a Product Owner do?

• Setting the Product Goal. Where should the product be in a while? The Product Goal, part of the Scrum Guide since 2020, gives the team direction and helps with every choice.
• Managing the Product Backlog. The Product Backlog is the ordered list of everything that can make the product better, often written as user stories. The Product Owner makes sure the list is up to date, clear and visible to everyone. They may delegate the work on it, but remain accountable.
• Ordering and choosing. What delivers the most value right now? What must happen first is at the top. That also means saying no, or not yet, to wishes that deliver less.
• Involving stakeholders. The Product Owner gathers wishes and feedback from customers, users and the organisation, and explains why something does or doesn’t happen (now).

The Product Owner in the sprint

The Product Owner has a fixed place in every sprint.

This is one of the tools you learn to apply in the Green Belt training.

At Sprint Planning the Product Owner explains what value the sprint should deliver. Together the Scrum Team sets the sprint goal, and the Developers decide how much work fits in. During the sprint the Product Owner is available for questions. At the Sprint Review the team shows what has been built and the Product Owner gathers feedback from stakeholders. That feedback determines how the backlog changes. The Product Owner also takes part in the Sprint Retrospective.

What skills does a good Product Owner have?

• Vision: knowing where the product needs to go, in the short and long term, and being able to explain it.
• Decisiveness: making calls, even when not everyone is happy. A Product Owner who promises everything orders nothing.
• Communication: talking with very different people, from executives to end users and developers, finding the right tone for each.
• Knowledge of the customer and the organisation: understanding what users really need and what the organisation wants to achieve.
• Resilience: the role is under pressure from many interests. Knowing yourself well helps you not to be led by that.

The Product Owner also needs a mandate. If every decision has to go past a steering committee, the role becomes a mere go-between and the team gets stuck. Also read about the difference between a Product Owner and a project manager.

Want to develop in this role? Take a look at our training courses.