Architecting Value
Scrum Theory
We now know that Scrum Teams are the followers of Scrum Theory - Empiricism and Lean.
The self-managed, cross-functional, small teams.? They have the mind-set to adapt and turn the idea into a working product.?
They are accountable for creating a valuable, useful increment every Sprint.? They collaborate well.? They take up any task that the Scrum Team.
All product-related activities from stakeholder collaboration, verification, maintenance, operation, experimentation, research and development, and anything else that might be required to deliver a useful increment.
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"The success of Scrum is not just about having the right ceremonies or artifacts, it's about the Scrum Team functioning effectively as a unit. A well-oiled Scrum Team can deliver remarkable results, but a dysfunctional one can struggle to get basic work done." - Patrick Lencioni (Author, business management consultant)
The Scrum Team consists of a Scrum Master, a Product Owner, and Developers.?
Let us take a look at accountabilities of each of the Scrum Team members.
Product Owner aka Value Architect
Product Owner is a person from business or functional side of the world.
The one who understands what businesses are trying to achieve by having the product built.
The one who understands what value creation the businesses are looking for?
The one who represents the customer, the business, and the stakeholders around the business.
A messenger and key pillar for the Scrum Team.
The ones who lay the foundation or vision or roadmap for a Product.
The one who has everything it takes to convert vision into actionable work that delivers value.
A Product Owner has (or should have) understanding of what creates value for the business.? This makes him responsible to define and prioritize the Product Backlog.? It is his responsibility to write and refine the requirements such that they achieve the product goal of producing business value.
In conclusion, a Product Owner has skills, process knowledge, relevant experience, understands business users expectations, strategic mindset, overall product strategy and expected to deliver maximum value to the customers and the business.
Product Backlog is a log of requirements by business.
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Just to reiterate, business value is nothing but generating or enhancing economic value, market value, achieving customer satisfaction, an innovation useful to business, improvement or gaining efficiency which would help business/client to sustain.
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Thus, decisions made by a product owner ensure that the team is always working on the most valuable features.
The buck stops here
The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team.? Different organizations may adapt different ways to achieve based on their specific requirements, but it is the accountability of a product owner to maximize value.
So what other functions a Product Owner is accountable for?
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Having said that, with having so many functions to perform, a Product Owner may opt to delegate some of his responsibilities to others in the Scrum Team.?
For example, as he processes feedback from Scrum Team, he may choose to delegate the responsibility to update the Product Backlog item by scrum team members as appropriate.? This helps in timely Product Backlog management, and use of appropriate and relevant terms understandable by respective key stakeholders for the work items.
Regardless, the Product Owner remains accountable.
Sometimes, the Product Backlog could be huge and may require multiple Scrum Teams to be working at the same time.? Irrespective of the number of teams, the Product Owner is only one.? There cannot be multiple Product Owners.
The Product Owner is one person, not a committee.
As we know that too many chefs spoil the soup and create confusion. Scrum theory mandates that a single person must be accountable for the product decisions.? This not only ensures clarity in the product all the times, it also consistency in direction?of the product.
The Product Owner may represent the needs of many stakeholders in the Product Backlog.
For Product Owners to succeed, the entire organization must respect their decisions. ?He is the one who understands the product the best.? Hence, irrespective of the position or hierarchical structure of an organization, the Product Owner of a Product holds a supreme position for the Product in question.? He is the one to stamp the decisions for the Product.?
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Take into account below example:
The CEO asks the Development Team to add a "very important" item to a Sprint that is in progress. What should the Development Team do?
In this case, the members of the Sprint Team would inform the Product Owner to communicate with CEO, so that they both works out the best course of action.
Stick to Transparency
Any changes in the Product Backlog should be visible in the content and ordering of the Product Backlog, and through the inspectable Increment at the Sprint Review.
Those wanting to change the Product Backlog can do so by trying to convince the Product Owner – we saw in the CEO example above.?
What makes a great Product Owner for you? Share your thoughts in the comments!
In the next edition, we would review yet another important role on the Scrum Team.
Resources for the Aspiring Scrum Professional:
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