Product owners (POs) face arguably the biggest challenges on Agile/Scrum efforts. Traditional software development has used similar roles for team members as does Scrum. The PO in Scrum has a somewhat new and unique role compared to the sponsor, “business representative,” or similar responsibilities with predictive approaches.

There are many reasons why the PO role can be challenging. This presentation explores several lessons learned from being an accidental product owner over several years. The list covers some obvious and not-so-obvious lessons learned along the way. The goal of the session is to help you and your teams avoid the pitfalls that led to the lessons learned.

If you play the PO role or interact extensively with one, you will gain a new perspective and learn tips you can apply immediately. It is equally relevant for business analysts who also play a PO role as well as for non-BA Product Owners.

Learning Objectives:

• Quickly review the Product Owner role in Scrum and various variations.
• Explore several lessons learned that can help you improve the Product Owner role on your projects.
• Be in position to use any of the tips to avoid the pain that led to each of these lessons learned.