Over the years I’ve experienced a diverse group of Product Owners who’ve participated in Scrum initiatives.
Several were engaging and always ready to answer questions from the team at a moment’s notice, and others were, shall we say, not.
I’m finally conceding that at times in the past our Product Owners were MIA at inopportune moments.
Instead ousting the Product Owner entirely, how should we address this dilemma?
From my perspective the Product Owner by committee and the ScrumMaster/Product Owner-combo solutions are not effective. Teams in these situations tend to become more and more reactive, and lose focus on what is important due to fractured feedback loops.
The Product Owner is there for a reason, right?
ScrumMasters need to set expectations early, and to do so I propose the following suggestions:
Educate your Product Owner BEFORE Iteration Zero – This may seem obvious but often the Product Owner candidate does not understand his role or responsibilities. Suggest that they sign up for a Certified Product Owner course, as they are relatively cheap and only two day sessions. Point them to Product Owner websites and books. Agile Product Management with Scrum is an excellent starting point and is relatively short. If you find that explaining the Product Owner role to them is much like explaining Heaven to Bears, then you are better off addressing it sooner rather than later.
Establish Product Owner Availability – It is all well and good if the Product Owner understands his role, but he needs to be available to answer important questions. I’ve spoken to ScrumMasters who mandate 10min turnarounds on any question regarding the project. If 10min response times are unrealistic, make them an hour, or two hours. At the very least designate Product Owner office hours so you can swing by during convenient times throughout the work day.
Product Owner by Proxy – If all else fails, try to find a resource who can play Product Owner by proxy. Some of the higher level people in an organization tend to over commit and leave you hanging. Have them designate a proxy who can devote the time needed to the project. As long as this person is given at least some authority to make decisions, it is better than nothing.
What other tactics would you suggest to help prevent a Product Owner from going missing in action?
