In an effective agile iteration team, everyone is viewed as a highly effective team member. They may have different skill sets, different levels of experience and different work/life priorities. Regardless, the team is a team – unified in every way. Even so, two roles stand out a bit more than the others – the product owner and the scrum master. These two individuals, more than anyone else, are responsible for ensuring the team is ultimately successful.
For now, let’s focus on the product owner. Until we tried to scale agility beyond 1-2 teams, I never truly realized how powerful the product owner role was. At scale, the product owner role becomes pivotal to the success of the overall effort. No other role has the ability to clearly articulate the vision of where each team needs to go. No other role enables each iteration team to be truly autonomous while also ensuring the vision is preserved.
In addition, an interesting dynamic occurs when a team is fortunate enough to have an effective product owner. Even though the product owner represents the traditional product management organization (and may even be part of the PM organization), they really are a member of the iteration team.
Sounds pretty simple but don’t underestimate the behavioral transformation the overall organization goes through. Traditionally PM asks for 10 items and development says they can only deliver 5 items. This constant tension generally leads to a clear organizational boundary.
That changes with an effective product owner because a) they become aware of what the iteration team can really deliver, b) they develop a strong and powerful bond with the team and c) they commit and operate as part of the team and not as separate requester.
The tension that previously existed disappears. Even if it doesn’t disappear 100%, it shifts from development vs. product management to product management vs. product management. Sounds odd and to some extent simple. It’s a very powerful transformation that ultimately leads to better planning and much, much less frustration. Everyone becomes more knowledgeable and in doing so, more of a family.
Conversely, not having an effective product owner will destroy the ability for an iteration team to be effective faster than any other individual or impediment. We’ll cover some of these issues in future posts.
