Product owners resist involving end-users early in Agile. How will you convince them of its value?

In Agile, the reluctance to involve end-users early often stems from a fear of scope creep or disruption. However, this approach undervalues the essence of Agile: iterative improvement through real-time feedback. Engaging end-users from the outset isn't just about fixing issues—it's about co-creating a product that is truly aligned with market demands and user expectations. This practice not only mitigates risk by catching potential pitfalls early but also accelerates time-to-market by ensuring that every iteration is relevant, value-driven, and user-centric. Global leaders in Agile understand that early user involvement is a strategic advantage, not a liability.

Skip the assumption that product owners understand user needs better than users themselves. Direct feedback isn’t a luxury - it’s a necessity. Early user involvement has saved my teams countless hours by catching misalignments before they spiraled into costly reworks. When we integrated end-users from the start, our product hit the mark on the first release, drastically reducing support tickets and boosting user satisfaction. Show product owners that user feedback isn’t just helpful - it’s the smartest investment in building a product that genuinely resonates.

The essence of Agile is improvement through faster feedback loops and the best way to get early feedback is by getting the product tested and validated by early users. Early adopters are your critical users who can give early and honest feedback about new features, capabilities or even new products. Since they are usually champions in their respective fields the feedback is genuine and if there is a need to pivot, it can be done sooner. As product owners, we often lose sight of early feedback in the quest to deliver a perfect product. Early adopters' feedback helps find bugs sooner, gather valuable feedback and beat the competition by delivering superior features. This is also a good way to get the confidence of the team going!

Es sollte sowohl dem Product Owner als auch dem gesamten Team klar sein, dass ein Produkt immer für den Benutzer entwickelt wird. Nicht für den Product Owner oder die Stakeholdern, sondern in aller erster Linie für den Benutzer. Aus diesem Grund ist Benutzer-Feedback extrem wertvoll. Es hilft dabei, das Produkt entsprechend der Bedürfnisse und Wünsche der Benutzer zu entwickeln. Nur so ist sichergestellt, dass die Benutzer das Produkt schlussendlich auch benutzen wollen. Das Ohr am Markt zu haben, ist somit ein Grundprinzip der agilen Entwicklung, dass dem Product Owner klar sein sollte oder im Zweifelsfall immer wieder klar gemacht werden muss.

To foster an effective team, I prioritise getting to know each member before starting any project. Understanding their strengths, areas for growth, and preferences helps me build strong relationships and creates a positive, high-morale environment from the outset. Listening to team & individual needs allows me to provide extra support and adjust scope to prevent burnout. I reward positive contributions, offer bonuses when available, and continuously acknowledge efforts throughout the project, not just at the end or during retros. Recognising when meetings can have an informal, light-hearted tone helps maintain engagement. When people feel understood & valued, they stay motivated and resilient, leading to stronger team performance overall.

Ignoring end-users until late in the game is like flying blind. Sure, it feels safer to control the vision, but reality bites when the product misses the mark. I’ve seen projects where late-stage user feedback led to expensive pivots that could have been avoided with early involvement. Early user engagement isn’t risky - it’s risk management. It ensures you’re solving the right problems from day one, saving the team from the pain of backtracking on a flawed feature set. Mitigating risks early is smarter and more cost-effective.

Pure agile development normally has the whole team start at once - whist this takes everyone on the same journey from the same start, however, sometime I find it better to get some product thinking done up front to get a head start on the UX and refine the interactions (and what needs building). This relieves the pressure on getting the team moving, which may be in the wrong direction and introducing early process debt, particularly if there is the pressure of a scrum team sitting idle.

In a saturated market, guesswork is your worst enemy. Engaging users early gives you the insight to not just meet, but exceed their expectations. I’ve worked on projects where early user input was the difference between a product that merely functioned and one that outperformed competitors. By responding to real user needs in real-time, we delivered a product that wasn’t just another option - it was the preferred choice. Convince product owners that early user involvement isn’t about keeping up; it’s about leading the pack.

To convince Product Owners of the value of involving end users early in Agile, explain that early feedback helps ensure the product meets real user needs, reducing the risk of costly rework later. Highlight how user insights can drive more informed decisions, leading to higher customer satisfaction and a better market fit. Share examples of successful projects where early user involvement led to better outcomes, and emphasize that this practice aligns with Agile’s core principle of delivering value quickly and effectively.

Involving end-users early in Agile is crucial for ensuring the product aligns with real user needs. For example, in a past project, we launched an MVP of a new feature by engaging a small group of end-users in the first sprint. Their feedback revealed a critical usability issue that hadn’t been identified during initial planning. By addressing this early, we avoided costly rework and delays down the line. This practice not only validated our direction but also increased stakeholder confidence, as they saw tangible user insights driving product decisions. Engaging end-users early transforms abstract requirements into actionable insights, fostering stakeholder buy-in and ensuring we deliver a product that truly resonates with the market.

Often it is hard to elevate an end user (e.g. a call center operator) in to the conversation around the product, and have them positioned as a key stakeholder, due to their position in the org chart in the business. It is important to establish that there are commercial stakeholders and business stakeholders and ideally they should get an equal voice, and at a minimum should be clearly heard.

In Agile, involving end-users early is crucial for continuous improvement and aligning the product with real user needs. To convince a product owner, emphasise that early user feedback helps validate assumptions, reducing the risk of costly changes later. It enables iterative development, where user insights guide refinements, leading to a product that better fits the market. Highlight that end-user involvement fosters a sense of ownership, increasing adoption rates. Present data showing that products developed with continuous user feedback often experience fewer post-launch issues, higher customer satisfaction, and ultimately, greater success.