Responsibilities of the Product Owner in Scrum Processes
The Product Owner represents the interests of the stakeholder community to the Scrum Team. The Product Owner is responsible for ensuring clear communication of product or service functionality requirements to the Scrum Team, defining Acceptance Criteria, and ensuring those criteria are met.
In other words, the Product Owner is responsible for ensuring that the Scrum Team delivers value. The Product Owner must always maintain a dual view. He or she must understand and support the needs and interests of all stakeholders, while also understanding the needs and workings of the Scrum Team. The Product Owner must understand the needs and priorities of the stakeholders, including customers and users.
Responsibilities of the Product Owner in Scrum Processes
Process
Product Owner Responsibilities
Create Project Vision
- Defines the Project Vision
- Helps create the Project Charter and Project Budget
Identify Scrum Master and Stakeholder(s)
- Helps finalize Scrum Master for the project
- Identifies Stakeholder(s)
Form Scrum Team
- Helps determine Scrum Team members
- Helps develop a Collaboration Plan
- Helps develop the Team Building Plan with Scrum Master(s)
Develop Epic(s)
- Creates Epic(s) and Personas
Create Prioritized Product Backlog
- Prioritizes Prioritized Product Backlog Items
- Defines Done Criteria
Conduct Release Planning
- Creates Release Planning Schedule
- Helps determine Length of Sprint
Create User Stories
- Helps create User Stories
- Defines Acceptance Criteria for every User Story
Estimate User Stories
- Clarifies User Stories
Commit User Stories
- Facilitates Scrum Team and commit User Stories
Identify Tasks
- Explains User Stories to the Scrum Team while creating the Task List
Estimate Tasks
- Provides guidance and clarification to the Scrum Team in estimating effort for tasks
Create Sprint Backlog
- Clarifies requirements to the Scrum Team while creating the Sprint Backlog
Create Deliverables
- Clarifies business requirements to the Scrum Team
Groom Prioritized Product Backlog
- Grooms the Prioritized Product Backlog
Demonstrate and Validate Sprints
- Accepts/Rejects Deliverables
- Provides necessary feedback to Scrum Master and Scrum Teams
- Updates Release Plan and Prioritized Product Backlog
Ship Deliverables
- Helps deploy Product Releases and coordinates this with the customer
Retrospect Project
- Participates in Retrospective Sprint Meetings
Some other important responsibilities of a Product Owner are:
- Determining the project’s initial overall requirements and kicking off project activities; this may involve interaction with the Program Product Owner and the Portfolio Product Owner to ensure that the project aligns with direction provided by senior management.
- Representing user(s) of the product or service with a thorough understanding of the user community
- Securing the initial and ongoing financial resources for the project.
- Focusing on value creation and overall Return on Investment (ROI).
- Assessing the viability and ensuring the delivery of the product or service.