How to onboard your Product Owner to Scrum
A step-by-step framework for Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches.
👋 Hello,
I’m Vibhor, and welcome to my weekly newsletter, the “Winning Strategy.” Each week I explore one question from you about agile, product, roles, processes, frameworks, career growth, working with humans and anything else that’s stressing you at your office. Send me your questions here, and in return, I’ll offer actionable, down-to-earth, and simple advice.
Q: What’s the process of onboarding a new Product Owner? What training and coaching should I provide as a Scrum Master? Do you have a framework?
Yes, I do! About 9 years ago, I was in the same boat as you. So I created a nameless framework to streamline my training and coaching practices directed toward onboarding new Product Owners. I recently named it PRO-ACTS™ for educational purposes. The whole framework can be summarized in the image below:
Below I’ll expand on each component and associated activities and share some advice on how to use this framework. Here’s how to use it:
Describe the framework: Begin by explaining the framework to the Product Owner and what each letter of the acronym signifies. Demonstrate that the framework is intended to assist the Product Owner in mastering the core skills and practises required for success in an agile setting.
Examine each section: Examine each section of the framework in depth, presenting examples and responding to any questions the Product Owner may have. Assist the Product Owner in comprehending the purpose and value of each part, as well as how it fits into the larger scenario.
Apply the framework: Work with the Product Owner to apply the framework to the specific product. Assist them in defining the product vision, prioritizing the product backlog, and effectively collaborating with the Scrum team and stakeholders.
Give feedback while coaching: When the Product Owner works with the framework, provide feedback and coaching to assist them in properly applying the concepts. Urge them to seek and incorporate feedback into their work.
Monitor progress and make necessary adjustments: Keep track of the Product Owner's development and adjust the mentoring and training as necessary. Should use retrospectives to identify areas for improvement and make necessary changes to the framework.
This post will be a live document. I’ll add to it as I learn new and effective tactics.
PRO-ACTS™ - Expanded
1. Product Owner Role
What POs need to do:
Understand the Scrum framework and the role of the Product Owner
Define the product vision and work with stakeholders to ensure alignment
Create and prioritize the product backlog to achieve the product vision
Work with the Scrum team to ensure successful product delivery
What POs need to learn/know about:
Scrum Framework: Use the scrum guide as a starting point and outline all the events and artifacts.
Vision statement: A product vision statement is a high-level statement that explains the goal, intended audience, and projected advantages of the product.
Stakeholder Map: A stakeholder map depicts the product's stakeholders, their interests, and their level of influence.
Product Backlog: A prioritized list of features, enhancements, and fixes that represent the requirements of the product.
User Stories: User stories are brief, straightforward descriptions of a feature or capability from the user's point of view.
Acceptance criteria: These are defined, quantifiable criteria that specify when a user narrative is judged complete.
Sprint Goal: A Sprint Goal is a brief statement that describes Sprint's objectives.
Powerful questions to ask:
How can you articulate a compelling vision for your product and get the team to buy in?
How can you maximize efficiency and harmony by prioritizing and streamlining the backlog?
How do you work with the team to refine the product backlog items?
How can you handle unexpected twists in the road while maintaining high levels of client happiness?
How do you encourage creativity and teamwork?
Specifically, what challenges do you foresee, and how do you plan to overcome them?
What measurements do you use to evaluate results, and where do you stand currently?
What feedback have you received, and how have you incorporated it for success?
How do you ensure visibility and transparency of the product backlog?
If you want to successfully deliver a product, how do you keep everyone updated on progress, modifications, and deadlines?
2. Requirements Management
What POs need to do:
Manage the product backlog to stay focused on what matters.
Trace requirements to ensure they meet the standards for quality and readiness.
Prioritize requirements to deliver value that aligns with business and customer needs.
Monitor progress with data to stay on track and in control.
Reflect on performance regularly and identify ways to improve.
Solicit feedback to constantly improve the product and the process.
What POs need to learn/know about:
The Requirements Traceability to trace needs from the first conception to the final delivery.
Prioritization Techniques like T-shirt Sizing, WSJF, and Story Mapping.
The Definition of Ready (DoR) sets the criteria that a user story must achieve before it is declared ready for development.
The Definition of Done (DoD) describes the requirements that a user narrative must achieve before it is considered complete and ready for release.
Burn-up/Burn-down Charts to track the progress of the product development process by assessing the work performed and the work remaining.
Powerful questions to ask:
How do you manage the backlog for success?
How do you track progress for quality and timeliness?
How do you refine and clarify requirements with the team?
How do you balance the needs of customers, business, and technology?
How do you gather feedback to understand customer needs?
How do you incorporate feedback for success?
How do you manage risks and dependencies related to requirements?
What techniques do you use to improve the product development process through requirements management?
What techniques do you use to deliver incrementally and ensure customer satisfaction?
What techniques do you use to overcome obstacles for success in requirements management?
3. Organization Alignment
What POs need to do:
Align vision with sprint goals.
Collaborate with stakeholders for balance and growth.
Manage expectations and communicate progress.
Incorporate feedback for flexibility and improvement.
Support the team for success.
Deliver value incrementally and adapt to feedback.
What POs need to learn/know about:
Agile Roadmap for a high-level view of the product development plan that outlines the key milestones, deliverables, and timelines.
Product Canvas to help map out the product strategy, including the customer segments, value proposition, features, and business goals.
Lean Startup Canvas to help map out the business model and value proposition
Value Stream Mapping to visualize and improve the product development process by identifying waste and inefficiencies.
Powerful Questions to ask:
Where does the product's future exist within the context of the company's larger mission and objectives?
How can you satisfy both your business needs and your end-users’ preferences, and what compromises are you willing to make?
Which parties are most invested in the product's outcome, and how should their expectations be managed?
How do you maintain consistency between the product vision and the organization's objectives when the market shifts?
While working with a Scrum team, how do you encourage a mindset of open communication, creative problem-solving, and constant improvement?
What obstacles will you experience in aligning your organization, and how will you get beyond them?
What methods and channels would you utilize to keep stakeholders informed of your work, proposed alterations, and received comments?
How have you taken stakeholder input into account while developing the product's roadmap?
What KPIs are used to monitor development and course-correct the product's intended purpose?
How will you help the Scrum team achieve organizational alignment, and what challenges do you foresee along the way?
4. Agility
What POs need to do:
Embrace Agile to foster innovation and collaboration for success.
Deliver quality incrementally and ensure customer satisfaction.
Improve continuously to remain flexible and responsive to feedback.
Adapt quickly to change to deliver maximum value.
Prioritize value incrementally and work collaboratively with the team.
Continuously improve.
What POs need to learn/know about:
Agile project management tools like Jira, Trello, or Asana to manage sprints and track team performance.
User story mapping tools like Miro and StoryMapJS to visually map out user stories and prioritize features.
Collaboration tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom to facilitate communication and collaboration with the team and stakeholders.
Retrospective tools like FunRetro and TeamRetro to gather feedback from team members and adjust the product vision.
Burndown charts and velocity charts to track sprint performance and progress over time.
Powerful Questions to ask:
Can you define "Agility" for me?
I'm curious as to how you're putting Agility to work to promote creative problem-solving and happy clients.
How do you balance the needs of your stakeholders with those of your Scrum team?
In what ways can you tap into your team’s creative abilities to guarantee the success of your product?
Please explain how you plan to use the Sprint Review to get input and make changes to the product roadmap and sprint priorities.
About the product development process, how do you handle managing dependencies and risks?
How do you leverage customer feedback to motivate new ideas and ongoing development?
How do you keep the crew excited and committed to the project as a whole?
5. Communication with team and stakeholders
What POs need to do:
Collaborate to define and prioritize stories while adhering to the vision.
Transparently communicate progress and changes to stakeholders.
Constructively resolve conflicts and foster positive relationships.
Actively listen, empathize, and communicate effectively.
Make sure everyone is on the same page about the product's intended direction and how it relates to existing goals.
Encourage feedback to keep improving the product and process.
What POs need to learn/know about:
Nonviolent Communication and Crucial Conversations are two communication frameworks that can help you create constructive conversation and resolve problems with your team and stakeholders.
Daily stand-up meetings to enable communication and collaboration among team members.
Sprint reviews and demos to display completed work to stakeholders and solicit feedback.
Sprint retrospectives to reflect on the sprint and provide recommendations on how to enhance communication and teamwork.
Active listening and empathic communication to guarantee that everyone's needs and viewpoints are heard and understood.
Powerful Questions to ask:
How frequently do you communicate with your team and key stakeholders?
Are you satisfied with the team's and stakeholders' level of communication?
What are some of the obstacles you've experienced when communicating with your team and stakeholders?
How do you measure the effectiveness of team and stakeholder communication?
Does the team need more product owner communication?
How can we enhance communication between the team and the stakeholders?
How can we guarantee that the team is aware of the most recent product changes and updates?
What excellent practices for team and stakeholder communication have you observed in previous projects?
Are there any stakeholders with whom communication is particularly difficult, and how can we solve this?
What assistance do you need from the Scrum Master and the team to increase stakeholder communication?
6. Team support and collaboration
What POs need to do:
Assist the Scrum team by removing obstacles and facilitating success.
Empower the team to develop high-quality products.
Encourage creative and innovative solutions to foster a culture of collaboration and teamwork.
To foster continuous learning and development, facilitate communication and knowledge sharing among team members.
Work with the Scrum team to define and prioritize user stories while keeping the product vision in mind.
Confirm that the team has the resources and tools needed to complete the assignment.
What POs need to learn/know about:
Leadership in providing directions and guidance
Communication to translate business objectives into user stories
Collaboration to work with the team to refine requirements and prioritize the backlog.
Strategic thinking to make decisions that align with the product vision and stakeholder needs.
Problem-solving to identify and resolve issues and keep the team on track.
Adaptability to respond to feedback quickly and adapt to change.
Technical knowledge (overview) to understand the technical aspects of the product to collaborate effectively.
Analytical skills to gather and analyze data to inform decisions and measure success.
Business acumen to understand the organization's goals to make informed decisions.
Customer focus to put the customer's needs first and prioritize features that meet their expectations.
Powerful Questions to ask:
How do you envision your role within the team?
How can your presence improve the team?
How can the team assist you in collaborating?
Provide an example of a moment when you collaborated effectively with the team. What led to its success?
What difficulties have you encountered in the past while interacting with the team? How do we defeat them?
How do you presently communicate with the team and ensure that they get the required information?
How can the team assist you in your capacity as a product owner?
How can the team participate in the product development process and assist in creating the road map?
How can the team collaborate with you, the product owner, more effectively?
7. Sprint Planning and Review
What POs need to do:
Planning and facilitating Sprints to achieve the product vision
Reviewing and adapting to feedback from customers, stakeholders, and team members
Delivering value incrementally and regularly
Celebrating successes and identifying areas for improvement
What POs need to learn/know about:
Ability to make decisions on what needs to be included in each Sprint to achieve the product vision.
Agile mindset to drive the product's success and to adapt to changes and feedback quickly and effectively.
Problem-solving skills to be able to identify and solve problems that arise during Sprint planning
Product management skills to ensure that the product is successful in the market.
Powerful Questions to ask:
How do you collaborate with the Scrum team to identify and prioritize work for each Sprint?
What is your role in Sprint Planning?
How do you ensure that the Sprint Backlog is well-defined and has sufficient data for the Scrum team to execute properly?
How do you ensure that the Scrum team comprehends the product vision and Sprint objectives?
How do you ensure that the Scrum team is focused on gradually producing value during the Sprint?
How does Sprint Review incorporate feedback from consumers, stakeholders, and team members?
How are the victories of the Scrum team celebrated at Sprint Review?
How do you discover improvement opportunities during Sprint Review and guarantee they are handled in the subsequent Sprint?
How do you motivate and empower the Scrum team to generate high-quality products during each Sprint?
How can Sprint Retrospective be used to constantly enhance the product and team processes?
How do you ensure that the Scrum team is adequately prepared and equipped to accomplish Sprint's objectives?
This is it 🙏
This post contains a great deal of information, so don't worry about attempting to remember it all.
Consider it more of a reference guide or a source of inspiration for when you're generating training ideas. And when you do come up with brilliant ideas, hit me up!
I am always open to suggestions and feedback. Pls, let me know if I missed something or if something seems odd.
🌟Also, if you share parts of the framework on social media, I request you to please use proper credits. I won’t be as frequent in sharing this kind of content if I have to track copies of it floating around on social media.🌟
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Have a fulfilling and productive week 🙏
📌 Things I loved this Week
📚 Book - Cal Newport's "So Good They Can't Ignore You" will have you questioning the wisdom of "follow your passion." According to Newport, following one's heart isn't enough to make a living you love. He advises that in order to have a successful working life, you need to invest in building up your "career capital," or rare and important abilities. His advice on how to gain autonomy, competence, and relatedness in the workplace is novel and quite useful. So, let's get building that career capital!
📝 Article - Everyone who has been putting off achieving their long-term goals should read "Macro Procrastination" by Neel Nanda. She reveals the causes of this trap and provides useful techniques for escaping it. This post is required reading if you're ready to quit putting off taking action and start living the life of your dreams.
✍️ Quote of the Week
"Passion comes after you put in the hard work to become excellent at something valuable, not before. In other words, what you do for a living is much less important than how you do it."
- Cal Newport, "So Good They Can't Ignore You"
“I share things I wish I knew in the starting years of my career in the corporate world"
Vibhor Chandel