The fifth Scrum gathering

Roles & Responsibilities

of the

Product Owner
(The real truth behind being a Product Owner)

Danny (Danko) Kovatch

Danko@AgileSparks.com

About me

Danko@AgileSparks.com

+972-544-26.11.70

I am nobody, nobodys perfect, therefore, I am perfect!

The common mistake

Question: What does the PO do?

Answer: Provide help by creating the product backlog

To err is human, but it feels divine . -- Mae West

Formal definition

Formal definition
The Product Owner has the following responsibilities:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Define the features of the product; Decide on release date and content; Be responsible for the profitability of the product (ROI); Prioritize features according to market value; Adjust features and priority every 30 days, as needed; and Accept or reject work results.

The product owner is responsible for the first of the three Scrum ceremonies : Scrum Planning.

How is it done?
Is it really so simple?
Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop Lewis Carroll

1. Define the features of the product;

Define the vision Define the target of the product Imagine the epics and the themes Imagine the features and the sub features of the product Translate it into a product backlog For each user story, insist on the following:
INVEST CCC DoD

Publish the features Discuss it with the customers (or get feedback) Discuss it with the management, colleagues and teams Pray that you are right
Vision is the art of seeing the invisible things -- Jonathan Swift.

User stories CCC

Ron Jeffries defines three Cs: Card
Does not contain all the information Enough text to only identify the requirements

Conversation
Encourage thoughts, opinions and discussions

Confirmation
Demonstrate the acceptance test of the customer

Source: http://www.xprogramming.com/xpmag/expCardConversationConfirmation.htm (Verified today during lunch time )

User stories

INVEST
Independent
The four most dangerous words in investing are 'This time it's different.' -- Sir John Templeton

User stories

INVEST
Negotiable

User stories

INVEST
Valuable

User stories

INVEST
Estimateble

User stories

INVEST
Sizeable

User stories

INVEST
Testable

Definition Of Done (DoD)

There are many options:

Coders opinion End of coding Code review Unit test Check in Managers approval Pair review approved by the tester integration test System test Performance test Load balance test Regression test Functional test Progression test Overall test Sanity test Smoke test Product owner approval Users approval Pilot Many more

Who is he kidding?

Were ready
to go!

If you try to fail, and succeed, which have you done?

2. Decide on release date and content;

Before the beginning of the project
Be familiar with the overall product content Be familiar with the velocity of the teams Calculate the release date as derived from the iron triangle project Make a decision when reality does not fit your plan

Throughout the project

Pray that velocity was accurate Be V-E-R-Y patient and tolerance when a team has an impediment Adjust the reality plan
"People arent resources and managers arent bosses - Ken Schwaber

The iron triangle project

Content

Resources
The Agile way

Time
The Waterfall approach

Overall product release date Team level

Content

User story Pr Est .................................

................................. ................................. ................................. ................................. ................................. ................................. ................................. ................................. ................................. ................................. ................................. ................................. .................................

Velocity
Resource Time

Nov 09

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan

* Developed and invented by Giora Morein

Sep 09

Overall product release date Product level

Remaining sprints
18 16 14 12 10 8

Release date

6
4 2 Team A Team B Team C Team D Team E Team F Team G

* Developed and invented by Giora Morein

3. Be responsible for the profitability of the product (ROI);

Have strong nerves Understand the business impact of each feature Be V-E-R-Y aware of the market / competitors / technology Be familiar with the cost of developing each feature Be brave! (Do not be afraid of making decisions*) Expect a reward at the end of the product and get ready for a disappointment
"Not making a decision is worse than making the wrong decision!

4. Prioritize features according to market value;

Be able to make decisions Understand that the teams can not do all at once Be ware of your surrounding (customers, competitors, management, teams, ) Know your limits Consider: Value, cost, risk & uncertainty

Make service your first priority, not success and success will follow "

5. Adjust features and priority every 30 days, as needed;

30 days?!?!? (who isnt adjusting to reality) Feel the market Be familiar with the velocity of the teams Know the maturity level of each team Be brave (make decisions!) Forming Storming Norming Performing
Can you explain your product in the time it takes to ride up in an elevator? -- Moore

PO vs. Scrum team

Motivate Encouraging
It is OK to make a mistake, just try it Focus on the DoD

Forming

Storming

Performing
Relying
What are the user stories you are committing for this sprint?

Norming
Mirroring
What was your original plan?
Do or Do not, there is no try (Scrum?) Master Yoda

6. Accept or reject work results

Be brave! Keep your professional integrity Do not fall into Parkinson law1 Be aware of the student syndrome2 Be afraid of Brooks law3 The architect can be your friend unless his name is Conway4 Insist on the DoD throughout the project
1Work

expands so as to fill the time available for its completion . to fully apply yourself to a task just at the last possible moment
manpower to a late software project makes it later Any piece of software reflects the organizational structure that produced it
"Know your limits but never accept them

2Start

3Adding

and let us not forget the

obstacles & challenges

along the way!

"If at first you don't succeed skydiving is not for you

Obstacles & Challenges

I need to prioritize the backlog on a daily basis

I am the one that has all the pressure

"Your failures won't hurt you until you start blaming them on others "

I want to go back to waterfall !

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work. -- Thomas Edison

We need a creative solution!

Impossible is often the untried! - Jim Goodwin

HR skills
Negotiator Excellent communication skills Ability to listen Be honest with the teams Patience is a virtue Flexible (Agile..) mind set Do not be vain! (You can not anticipate everything) Trust the teams Be open to criticism Ability to manage several tasks simultaneously Decision maker

Some quick questions a PO should be thinking about

Who is going to buy the product? Who is the target customer? Which customer needs will the product address? Which product attributes are critical to satisfy the needs selected, and therefore for the success of the product? How does the product compare against existing products, both from competitors and the same company? What are the products unique selling points? What is the target timeframe and budget to develop and launch the product? Imagine that the product came out as a big flop. What went wrong?

Questions a product owner should ask herself

What am I afraid of? Why companies buy our products? Why companies do not buy our products? What will the customers need from us in the future? What should I change in the product? Who are our competitors? What makes them such? What prevents me for doing my job? What did I learn in the past week? sprint? Release? Am I communicating clear, sharp, one voice set of requirements? Am I surprised at the end of a sprint? Am I available to the teams? What can I do in order to help the teams? Should I need to describe the product in one word, what would it be? Why?

A day in a life of a Product Owner

should contain: Be in touch with customers Discuss new possibilities with high management Be available to the teams (answer questions, negotiate) Participate in the daily standup meeting Groom the backlog Think! (Quiet era)

Why is it you must wait until night to call it a day?

Scrum ceremonies
Share your vision Define the DoD Help them understand Help them in creating user stories Make clear statements Make sure the team and you understand what is going to be delivered at the end of the sprint Listen! Feel the people Do not be caught surprised Make sure you review the committed user stories Do not let the team answer the stakeholders questions

24 hours

Product Backlog As prioritized by PO

Tasks committed By the team

Sprint Backlog

Sprint

Potentially Shippable Product Increment

Be honest!
If procrastinators had a club would they ever have a meeting?

Guidelines to the PO
- You need the teams as much as the teams need you - Trust the teams - Be available to the teams - Insist on visibility throughout the way - If user story is your weapon, the DoD is your bullets - Insist on the INVEST model for all user stories - Replan constantly - Be afraid of not taking a decision not taking the wrong decision - No document will replace communication armed with common sense - Be careful for what you wish, it may come true - It is YOUR incentive to make sure EVERYONE within the team understand the big picture - Invest in knowledge transfer is the self maintenance of the teams. - If you do not do it, you will end up with an heart attack - There should be only one voice - If the scope keeps changing within each sprint, someone has not thought things through. Be sure it is not you! - Create your reality! Similar to Scrum, see in your mind the end of the day at the beginning of it
Find something you love to do and you'll never have to work a day in your life Harvey MacKay

Professional integrity

Before

After

"Its great to work with somebody who wants to do things differently -- Keith Bellow

"You must have long term goals to keep you from being frustrated by short term failures ". -- Charles C. Noble

Thank you!
Danko@AgileSparks.com +972-544-26.11.70
"Success doesn't come to youyou go to it -- Marva Collins