“Owning the Product is owning the customer’s experience“
by Omar Z.Abela . 2018
The Product Owner (PO) Role. Key Strategies For Success.

As we may well know by now, the product owner role is an emerging job post that has found its roots in the grounds of Agile, a methodology that is set to improve the efficiency and quality of organisations through the Agile Manifesto. Some of you may confuse the role with that of a scrum master role or even a project manager… what the heck! Some of you may even have never heard of it, but the role of a product owner is an essential part of organisational processes and focuses on specific targets. Let’s take a quick peak at these targets one by one!

#1. This isn’t your job, stop worrying about it!

When joining a company as a product owner, it’s easy to slip into the common mistake of thinking that you are asked to take a managerial role for the product you are supposed to run, but managing processes is a whole different beast which requires another full time role like a Product manager, technical lead (techlead) or a scrum master, depending on the requirement.

If you were to slip into such mistake, you will probably be of no good to the company or your success in the role. First things you need to learn? Is what am I expected to achieve in the product owner role?

There are three tips that I can give you in order for you to nail the answer to this question, and here they go.

You’re The Interviewer

The company you are to work for is not merely interested in how you will do with answering the interviewer’s questions, they’re interested in analysing the questions you have prepared for them too. Let’s say it right away, the fact that you prepare questions for your interview is already a big plus for you, as many, barely have any questions to ask and the few that do, have only questions which the companies are used to hear: What benefits you offer? how much is the salary? etc…

But the questions you ask will not just determine your success in the interview, they will also define your success or failure in the role going along, depending on what you ask. There are many questions one may ask to unveil the path to success in a role. However, one particular question that does just that is to ask for two or three main goals one should achieve in order to be successful in the role as perceived by the company/interviewer. Asking what the key goals are would potentially give you a path of work prior the first day at work.

And while you are at it, why not ask the 3 things that led to failure in the previous role. This will give you 3 things to shift away from when starting your job.

Understand The Quality Of The Role

There really isn’t a one size fits all description of the role and responsibility of a product owner. Companies may hire you for a role of a technical, financial, CRM or even marketing product owner. Indeed they do fall under the cap of product ownership, but they bring along their own set of responsibilities and day to day tasks. What better way to excel in a product owner role then knowing that your managers want you to handle the CRM part and not focus on the technical part.

Although product ownership comes in colours, we do find a common understanding of what a product owner should aim for. The explanation goes deep, however we summarise this in one quote.

A product owner is there to leverage the value of the end product, they do so by focusing on the validity and timeliness of the input and output in the software development lifecycle

Omar Z.Abela

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#2. Feature Requisites, A Break or Make!

Wether its a top-down or a bottom-up feature request, you need to properly document it to make sure you leave no stones unturned and no holes.

Let’s face it documentation is a struggle in all modern agile teams. Tools like JIRA help every actor in the feature delivery cycle document just enough to for handshaking and engine starting.

Hand Shaking

With complete task reporting, the product owner is able to communicate and agree both with stakeholder and developers that the priority is desired and actionable. This in turn becomes a bullet proof ritual that the product owner practices to ensure correctness, workflow and most importantly continuity.

Engine Starting

Properly requesting a feature will get the software development life cycle engine to start. Scrum teams will either be able to fully understand it or ask the right questions. An incomplete feature request will lead to scrum team members to go back and forth for clarification and information needed in order to turn the task into a technical requirement, or not action it at all, leaving it to the PO to come back and prioritise it instead of doing their job for them.

How Do You Request A Feature?

Well, let’s take a quick look back.

We said that the product owner needs to perform two important tasks in order for their feature request to be a success. Handshaking with all relevant stakeholders, and engine starting for the scrum team.

There are several tools at hand that a product owner can use to deliver feature requisites. Here are some of the strategies that I would use in different scenarios.

One Requester, One Stakeholder Scenario

This is what I like to call a domestic feature requisite. In these scenarios, the requester is usually also the stakeholder themselves. Whenever this is the case, keeping it simple is the best way around. As we have the advantage of having all details of the features being provision by one or maximum 2 persons, we can be highly effective and include stakeholders into scrum team feature review calls. This way we make effective use of both the scrum and the stakeholder’s time, while ensuring quality alignment. We create the feature in a task management tool and we align the stakeholders through task visibility.

Multiple Requesters, Multiple Stakeholders Scenario

This is a more complicated scenario involving more people which therefore needs structure. In agile, there are multiple ways of approaching this.

As product owner, you look at both requesters and stakeholders as your customers. As customers, they all have their priorities and feel that they must be given the needed resources to deliver their piece of value. However, there is such a thing as business priority and stakeholder priority, and as a PO, your first step is to identify the business value in the feature requisites. In other words what is the relevant priority?

Here we find two particular tools to work wonders. OKR templates and WSJF scoring.

OKRs, Objectives and Key Results, are a standardised communication channel to correctly and completely define and communicate objectives. The key results are the steps to be taken to achieve the results. With this OKR template, as a product owner I defined the multiple objectives and prioritised them with WSJF scoring events.

WSJF, provides a framework for products owners and stakeholder to effectively and collectively work out the priorities for a defined period, usually a quarter. The weighted shortest job first approach ensures that the most important business value is delivered with agility. Since this approach requires all stake holders to work together towards the most important priorities, the agile scrum team is sure to be working towards business relevant priorities.

Once the product team is ready from defining and aligning objectives and key results, we move on to defining the user stories. User stories are short descriptions of a small piece of desired functionality, written in the user’s language.

How do I write user stories?

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#3. Understand The Customer

As a product owner, you need to have a deep understanding of your customers. Take the time to research and analyze customer needs, preferences, and pain points. Engage with customers through surveys, feedback sessions, and user testing to gather valuable insights. This customer-centric approach will enable you to create products that truly address customer needs and deliver value.

But understanding your customer means that you also learn who your customers are. Stakeholders, managers, business analysts, central product team are all customers of yours when you are at the gateway of delivering product features.

When you are at a gatekeeper role such as that of a product owner, ensure that you build communication bridges with every member involved with the features prioritised. You want to make sure you are delivering the right priority with the right functionality, which can only be achieved through improved communication.

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#4. Define Clear Product Vision And Strategy

A strong product vision and strategy are crucial for guiding your product’s direction and aligning your team. Clearly define the vision and communicate it to your team and stakeholders. Develop a product roadmap that outlines the strategic priorities, features, and timelines. This will help you set expectations and keep everyone aligned towards a common goal.

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#5. Collaborate Effectively

Successful product owners collaborate closely with cross-functional teams, including developers, designers, marketers, and stakeholders. Foster open communication, encourage feedback, and create a collaborative environment where ideas and perspectives are valued. Engage in regular meetings, such as sprint planning, backlog grooming, and daily stand-ups, to ensure smooth coordination and alignment among team members.

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#6. Prioritise Ruthlessly

As a product owner, you’ll face a never-ending stream of ideas and requests from stakeholders. It’s essential to prioritise ruthlessly and focus on the most valuable features that align with your product vision and strategy. Use techniques like the MoSCoW method (Must-haves, Should-haves, Could-haves, and Won’t-haves) or the Eisenhower matrix (Urgent vs. Important) to prioritise tasks and make informed decisions.

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#7. Embrace Agility

Agile methodologies, such as Scrum or Kanban, are commonly used in product development. Embrace the principles of agility, such as iterative development, continuous feedback, and flexibility to change. Be open to learning and adapting to the changing needs of the market and customers. Keep refining and iterating your product backlog based on feedback and data.

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#8. Communicate Effectively

Communication is crucial in the role of a product owner. You need to clearly communicate the product vision, priorities, and progress to your team, stakeholders, and customers. Use different communication channels, such as meetings, emails, or product documentation, to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Be an active listener and be open to feedback to continuously improve your product.

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#9. Measure Success

Define meaningful metrics to measure the success of your product. Whether it’s user engagement, conversion rates, or revenue growth, establish measurable goals and track progress regularly. Use data-driven insights to inform decision-making and make data-backed recommendations for product improvements.

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#10. Be A Problem Solver

As a product owner, you’ll face challenges and roadblocks along the way. Embrace a problem-solving mindset and seek creative solutions to overcome obstacles. Be proactive in identifying and addressing issues, and leverage your analytical and strategic skills to make informed decisions.

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