How can you ensure the product owner is engaged with the Scrum team?

Agile teams typically have 3 components- PO, Scrum Master and the team. The product owner is an integral part of the Scrum team. Vision, Strategy of a particular product are permeated to the team via the product owner. The product owner can/should validate/ accept sprint work, ensuring their presence & engagement with the team. Faster feedback loop instead of waiting for mid PI system demo.

Product owner is a part of the team and should be included in agile ceremonies. This will also ensure ‘inclusive’ culture without the need of ensuring explicitly by scrum team.

The main source of disengagement I've seen is when: 1. the developers go off and start the project by building non-user-testable infrastructure for months 2. the PO takes a "call me when it's done" perspective These two problems tend to start the project off on the wrong foot, making things inherently non-iterative from the start, and reinforcing bad habits that are hard to break. Instead, I would encourage POs not to start with a login screen, then the next screen and so on. Login takes infrastructure, so skip it. Security can be the next feature. POs should start with a "steel-thread" approach, such that the first story is the core of what the app should do. This will let devs roll it out quickly, and the PO can try it and iterate.

Below are strategies to foster and maintain engagement: 1.Regular Sprint Planning Involvement 2.Continuous Communication between the PO and Scrum team 3.Conduct regular backlog refinement sessions 4.Involve PO in Sprint Review 5.Include the PO in sprint retrospectives 6.Foster a culture of trust and collaboration between the PO and the development team 7.Leverage collaborative tools for maintaining the product backlog, tracking progress, and facilitating communication 8.Encourage the PO to be proactive in seeking feedback from stakeholders, gathering requirements, and actively participating in discussions related to the product By implementing these strategies, one can create an environment that encourages active engagement from the PO

Product Manager must present the Roadmap to the Scrum team, stakeholders and leadership before the start of the actual sprint work. This way team has the brief understanding of the goal.

PO should be included in every agile cadence and in planning too. To define acceptance criteria before implementation is a crucial step.This will help to test the quality of product.In Agile team, we have multiple things on plate which on to focus on (priority)this sprint is necessary .

Product Owner involvement and active participation is required for upfront planning such as Backlog refinement, Sprint planning and Release planning. Product Owners active involvement in planning helps the team to set realistic goals, identify dependencies, allocate tasks, and communicate the expectations to stakeholders accordingly PO need to align with the team, plan and prioritizing the work based on the value it delivers to customers and stakeholders

This sub-title should be changed to: The Product Owner should invite and involve the team (developers) in the planning activities. Many Product Owners don’t seek input from the developers. They already pre-decide the Sprint Backlog or Scope and expect the developers to implement and deliver.

Involving the PO in all agile ceremonies is a critical step,as the PO has the final say on what is "acceptable" in terms of acceptance criteria ,and also to decide the priority of when the changes are expected to be completed.Not involving the PO at these crucial checkpoints would result in creating a product which might be different from the actual stakeholder vision.While the PO perspective is key,it is also important for the team to share their feedback and perspective with the PO ,which can enable the Product Owner to take better informed decisions.

Check the Scrum Guide: The responsibilities outlined for the Product Owner in effective Product Backlog management emphasize the critical elements of developing and communicating the Product Goal, creating and clearly communicating Product Backlog items, ordering them, and ensuring overall transparency. This comprehensive set of accountabilities underscores the Product Owner's pivotal role in guiding the team towards the product's success. The acknowledgment that the Product Owner may delegate specific tasks while retaining overall accountability aligns with the collaborative nature of Agile frameworks, allowing flexibility in execution while maintaining a clear line of responsibility.

Product owner should also be responsible of quality as the last owner to sign-off the quality is indeed as expected (after QA has signed off). In my previous experiences- after a ticket is QA verified (feature or enhancement or defect fix), product owner would be verifying it and marking it as Done. Product owner had the ownership and responsibility for the product.

Showing flexibility and collaboration in execution will show that you are responsive, proactive, and cooperative. Understand PO's perspective and motivation and respect the way of working. Get to know them personally, acknowledging their contributions and supporting will help during execution. You can build trust and collaboration by fostering a culture of transparency, respect, feedback, and empowerment.

In my experience, this is the most important step. Once the product owner missed for example the standups for being busy, this would lead to lack of alignment between the development team and the product vision or requirements. Also would lead to delays or misunderstandings regarding the requirements, potentially leading to misaligned development efforts.

Ensure Product Owner engagement by fostering regular communication, active participation in sprint events, collaborative prioritization, availability for questions, clear acceptance criteria, feedback loops, regular sprint reviews, involvement in backlog refinement, continuous improvement, and fostering empowerment and trust within the Scrum team.

To ensure the product owner is engaged with the Scrum team, encourage collaboration in the execution phase. This involves having the product owner actively participate in the development process, providing clarifications, and being available for ongoing discussions. By fostering collaboration during the execution of sprints, the product owner and the team can ensure alignment with project goals and make informed decisions throughout the development cycle.

An informed scrum team is capable of making good decisions. The Product Owner should balance the fine line between asserting authority and educating the scrum team to ensure consensus and optimal decision making. A good strategy is to supply the team with enough context to ensure they have a feel of prioritisation and feel align with the product owner's decisions. It is but obvious that such information sharing may not be possible in all cases. Consistent information sharing with team will allow for an occasional decision that appears "arbitrary".

The PO is like a mediator and has a clear vision of the goal to be achieved. He understands what the client needs as well as the reason therefore the team should respect the final say of the Po. However since the developers know best about the implementation and feasibility of the product, po should also respect the developers deductions too. For example in the case where client absolutely want a feature that is not feasible at all or want a risky feature that would take one month to be developed in only one week

Decentralised decision making is essential for faster deliveries! Product owner needs to empower team to make decisions that will establish the culture of ownership and accountability in the teams! It’s ok to fail faster and then to correct the course than to have delays in decision making leading to larger delays and not so happy teams!

The Product Owner is the face of the team to external stakeholders and so would know what is critical or non critical to the project at any point in the agile journey.The product backlog should be the guideline to what an agile team should be focusing on ,and it is key that the team along with the PO sets the priority in the product backlog.Teams should focus on "valuable wins" ,and it is the responsibility of the PO in dictating what is "valuable" to the product in terms of priority.

To ensure the product owner is engaged with the Scrum team, empower them in decision-making. Allow the product owner to make informed decisions about the product backlog, priorities, and acceptance criteria. Providing the autonomy to make decisions fosters a sense of ownership and commitment, enhancing the product owner's engagement with the team and promoting a collaborative environment.

To ensure the product owner is engaged with the Scrum team, appreciate their contributions and provide recognition. Acknowledge the product owner's efforts in guiding the team, making informed decisions, and contributing to the project's success. Regularly expressing appreciation fosters a positive working relationship and motivates the product owner to stay engaged and committed to the team's goals.

Recognition is important in a team, to encourage not just the product owner but The entire scrum team. Feedbacks can be given through retrospective meeting highlighting the achievements of each other and even mentioning improvements that were done. For example the way acceptance criteria were written, it included screenshots / designs and this helped the developers to understand what was required

Celebrating the big wins together is like the final scene of a great movie. When the Scrum team nails it, like delivering a fantastic product or solving a tricky issue, it's time for applause. The Product Owner steps in, giving props to the team's hard work and creativity, sharing the positive impact of their efforts. And in return, the team acknowledges the Product Owner's guidance and vision, sharing lessons learned. The Scrum Master acts as the cheerleader, making sure this appreciation happens smoothly, keeping that good vibe between the Product Owner and the team. It's all about high-fives and keeping that teamwork spirit alive and kicking!

Ich würde vorab sagen, es ist egal in welchem Kontext man unterwegs ist, Anerkennung und Wertsch?tzung sollte nicht nur vom Product Owner kommen. Sie st?rkt das Vertrauen und motiviert alle im Team. Als Product Owner sich bei dem Team für Einsatz und Kreativit?t, und was genau besonders gefallen hat, kann auch so ausgesprochen werden. Der Scrum Master spielt dabei eine zentrale Rolle, indem er diese gegenseitige Anerkennung f?rdert und eine positive Dynamik im Team schafft. So entsteht eine produktive Atmosph?re, in der jedes Mitglied wertgesch?tzt wird.

Appreciating recognition fosters engagement between the product owner and the Scrum team in Agile software development. Acknowledging the product owner's contributions and decisions demonstrates the team's appreciation for their expertise and leadership. Regular recognition reinforces a positive working relationship, motivating the product owner to remain actively involved. This appreciation also contributes to a collaborative and supportive team culture, enhancing overall communication and collaboration in Agile development methodologies.

Keep in mind that the PO is part of the team, and the whole team is responsible for the project's success or failure. So, we should implement a solid team mindset.

Probably the first thing is to rethink the question. Instead of how we can ensure the PO is engaged with the Scrum team, it should be how do we support the Scrum team in engaging each other in their respective roles. The PO is not a role that sits outside the team and he or she needs to understand they are also part of the Scrum team. Different roles holds different responsibilities within the team. The PO is the one that gives the Why and What and enables the team to know why certain hypothesis and features are chosen. The team then work together to figure out the What (in details), how and when. Having the right mindset taught to the team, especially a new team, is vital in promoting engagement and growth.

Every product owner has a different set up in his/her organisation. Understanding this set up helps. For e.g. The Product Owner might be reporting to the Business head or Operations head. PO might be also busy in other business reporting and other expectations from him/her First step - is to understand this context. After that, involving PO into team which helps him do both 1) Help other tasks of reporting 2) Helps team get most from PO by their presence We need to help PO so that PO can bring the customer insights and value understanding to the Scrum Team. Getting this balance of PO responsibilities understood by the team helps to ensure how we can effectively engage the PO for optimal growth of team, PO and organisation in the end.

Elevating the product owner's role in the Scrum team involves strategic approaches. Use techniques like the "MoSCoW method" for prioritizing backlog items, supported by tools such as Jira or Trello for streamlined collaboration. Implement "user story mapping" visually to enhance understanding and task prioritization. Tricks like regular "sprint reviews" gather continuous feedback, aligning with agile principles. Foster open communication through tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams. The Scrum master can employ coaching strategies to help the product owner overcome challenges effectively. Incorporating these tips, tricks, and tools cultivates an environment that empowers the product owner for decisive decision-making in the Scrum process.

I think this question is a little bit silly because as a Product owner you are responsible for the added value of the scrum team and to make sure that the team is working on the correct items you need to be engaged in some form. As long as the added value of the increments of the scrum team is what the business needs I wouldn’t worry too to much about it. In that case I would assume that the PO has covered the alignment very well. At the same time if everything is going well and the PO is proven not engaged at all then there could be a proxy PO within the team. Could be nice to promote both the PO and the proxy PO. When the added value of the sprint increments isn’t as expected then the PO clearly need help with setting the direction