Poorly trained Product Owners can often be a major contributing factor to projects running over time and over budget. Here are my nine key learnings from my years working either as a Product Owner or coaching them.
1. The key to your role is in your title
You are the owner of this deliverable. You represent the business and the money that is being spent. You are responsible for realising the business benefit this project was created for. Therefore, it is your responsibility to ensure that the project delivers on its promise.
You have a Project Manager to help facilitate the process - but let's be clear, you are the one who ultimately owns the effectiveness of the solution, so you better be paying attention.
Just think of it as building a house. The builder and the architect will have well-meaning advice, but you're the one who has to ultimately live in it (and pay for it).
2. You are a leader in this project
The team looks to you to set the vision. They need to understand the change you are trying to effect, the impact this will have, and most importantly, why it's important. If you can’t paint a clear vision and direction, your team won’t be inspired.
There should be a healthy tension between you and your PM. They want the project on time and on budget. You want the best possible outcome. Working together, you can achieve all three.
3. You are a servant leader - you still have to get your hands dirty
There are critical tasks that need to be completed by you and your team expects you to meet your milestones. In its simplest form, it is about setting priorities, defining features and making decisions - so many decisions. If you’re not available and present, these decisions either won’t be made (leading to delays) or will be made for you, which may not meet expectations.
Like any sports team, your team needs your position to perform well so the whole team can play at their best.
4. Your role is the subject matter expert. Not a design expert or a development expert
You offer business insight, and therefore, from a business perspective, why a solution may not work, but your design opinion is less relevant. It can be tempting to overrule the team and think your idea is better - but be humble and remember who has the Design Degree. It can be a fine balancing act - but a good Product Owner knows when to step in and when to trust the expertise in their team.
No one is smarter than the room. Learn when to direct and when to listen.
5. Stakeholders are your responsibility
Not only do you need to ensure they’re kept informed, but you are also there to challenge them when they’re making decisions that are impacting the quality of the overall solution.
I’m talking less about sponsors (although this still applies) and more about the other stakeholders who may have some influence on your project; this could be anything from Marketing to Legal to Information Security, etc.
Digital projects can often question traditional policies and procedures that have been in place since the dawn of time. You’re the agitator for updating these policies. Your job is not just to consult with these stakeholders but to open their eyes to why change is necessary.
You’re driving change in a business, and this requires you to be courageous and persuasive.
6. Lead by example
Don’t expect your team members to hit their milestones if you’re not hitting yours. If you choose to take more time than necessary to make decisions, you may reduce the project window and put further pressure on your team down the track. I’ve often seen developers and testers working weekends at crunch time, but I rarely see Product Owners staying late to define their requirements at the start of a project. You need to set the standard you expect others to meet, and it will give you a stronger position when asking the team to go the extra mile.
As a leader and contributor, you can set the tone for your project team.
7. A little pragmatism goes a long way
Not everything will go your way. Dying in a ditch on every issue doesn’t make you some kind of visionary genius. It’s great to continue pushing and challenging, but it is also wise to identify when you need to compromise. Being flexible and open to alternative ideas not only improves the quality of your outcomes but also increases the likelihood of bringing your project in on time and on budget.
Work out early what is not negotiable and what you can be flexible with.
8. Leverage the collective genius of the people around you
Ultimately, the greatest virtue of Agile is its emphasis on collaboration. Your testers will be the first power users of your solution; they will have some great insights into the experience (not just the defects). Your developers may have a slightly different take on the design, which could halve their development effort for a feature. You need to foster an environment where team members feel comfortable contributing their ideas and feedback.
A good idea is a good idea - it doesn’t matter where it comes from. How can we foster more of them?
9. Understand the impact of the decisions you’re making
This is a big one. You are defining the scope, and you are the one making changes. You can’t complain to the Project Manager about cost and time if you are either specifying especially complex solutions or repeatedly changing scope. There are times when these changes are necessary, but you need to own the outcomes and manage these with your stakeholders. When you are making changes, “...and what is the impact of that?” should be included with every request.
Constantly changing scope without expecting an impact on time or cost is the definition of ignorance.
Playing a key contributing role in a high-functioning team is very rewarding. Delivering successful outcomes is even better. Your stewardship is critical for achieving both.