'Product Ownership' is a multi-faceted complex function that gets more and more challenging with additional variables; product industry/project nature, market drivers, technology and functionality being examples of external variables; while distributed teams, team structure and team size being internal variables- to name a few. 'Product Ownership' function is expected to be carried out by Product Owner. In reality it becomes a shared sport of disparate stakeholders. While PO controls and drives priorities and scope, he/she highly depends on team members for effective/efficient decision making across the product/project. In this interactive talk, we will elicit audience's understanding of this function and will try to explore what skillset(s) is/are critical to ensure the success for this function.

1. Product Ownership
A shared sportA shared sport

2. GOLD SPONSORS
SPONSORS & PARTNERS
BRONZE SPONSOR SUPPORTER
MEDIA PARTNERS

3. Who here is a
Product Owner?Product Owner?

4. Two Examples of a Product Owner
Mirza Asfaar Baig Rasmus Runberg
• Product Owner at Teletronics
• +10 years of project experience
• Product Dev & Agile Consultant
• 10 years of experience

5. How would you define a
Product Owner?Product Owner?

6. The Reality of a Product Owner
The “SCRUM” definition
of a Product Owner

7. The Reality of a Product Owner

8. The Reality of a Product Owner

9. The Reality of a Product Owner

10. The Reality of a Product Owner

11. The Reality of a Product Owner

12. Expectations
 Create a shared vision and
helps builds consensus
 The one person ultimately
responsible for the return
on investment (ROI)
• Value thinking
• Analytical skills
• Trust building
and Skills
 Must have a firm
understanding of the
business domain
 Be able to prioritize work
based on business values
 Liaison between the
stakeholders (Dev Team,
clients, management etc.)
•
• Facilitation
• Decision making
• Leadership & alignment
• Communication at all levels

13. It’s a shared sport …
In order to succeed as a
SM
Market
Trends
Customer
Luckily the PO Isn’t Alone
In order to succeed as a
Product Owner, it is
essential that he/she
utilize the entire
business
POOrg.
Dev
Team
Other
PO’s
Partners

14. Other factors that will affect the PO
• The organization size and culture
• Size of the product
• Stage of product (lifecycle)

15. Real Life Example

16. PO Functions
Product Functions
• Ownership
• Prioritization
• Value Delivery
Behavioral Functions
• Enactment of Agile framework
• Enactment of Agile values
• Team Empowerment (forget “cover-your-ass” games)

17. • Collaboration!
• Only by standing together and utilizing skills from the
development teams, the organization, the clients etc. the PO will
stand a chance
• The Product Owner should see himself more as a facilitator, that
Mindset of a Successful PO
• The Product Owner should see himself more as a facilitator, that
ensures things get done, and dots are connected, rather than the
single entity (single point of failure) that has to do it all
• Value-driven
• Focusing on the vision and the value to deliver, by asking
“why” and telling “what” and “when” - Never “how”!
• Delivery-driven

18. So can you truly be a PO if you’re not empowered?
(Being the Product CEO)?
Question for the audience …
Are you as a PO ready to be
the fire of your product?