Sounds Like You Need a Product Owner

Abstract:
You can greatly improve the probability of project success by putting appropriate emphasis on the Product Owner role and empowering the right person to constantly course correct your projects towards launch.

Key Take-Aways:

• Why having the right person in the Product Owner space is critical to achieving the “Agile Nirvana State"
• What the Product Owner role entails: responsibilities, place within the scrum team, and participation in scrum activities
• Who should be the Product Owner
• How to spot when critical decisions are not being made
• Avoiding the traps of “Analysis Paralysis” and over-engineering 
• Dealing with the challenges a “Product" Owner faces when working from an agency that does “projects"
• How to work with and coach an inexperienced Product Owner when the client owns the PO space
• When to implement your own Product Owner to ensure the PO space is accounted for

You did everything right. You have the right developers for the job, a beautifully crafted SOW, and the client is great to work with. The code quality is the stuff of dreams….

So why is the project still declining towards failure?

As web based projects continue to become increasingly complex in nature, even a three page website can start to feel a lot like software. Regardless of the size of your organization or the scale of your projects, if you are utilizing agile methodologies without putting proper emphasis on the Product Owner role, then you are likely feeling some pain-points from this gap.

A Product Owner is part visionary, strategist, product manager, account manager, project manager, business analyst, solution architect, and leader. This is an incredible combination of skills to find in one person. Widely considered to be the most difficult role on a scrum team, the Product Owner space warrants being taken seriously.

A Product Owner does not simply tend a backlog, a Product Owner will shape it, inspire it, and own it. A Product Owner will call the shots on what the delivery team is working on. With a careful eye on business value, the Product Owner will always be there to answer “why” and champion the project’s vision.

The Product Owner is a leader that will guide and constantly course correct your projects towards success.