Presented at the Washingon State Government IPMA conference. Product Owners are an important role in agility enabling processes and systems.

1. PRODUCT
OWNERS
Role of the P.O.
in agile contexts

2. Joseph Flahiff
PMI Agile CoP
Board Member
15+ years Traditional and Agile
President of Whitewater Projects, Inc.
Author, Speaker, Coach, Consultant
joseph@whitewaterprojects.com
PMI
ACP

3. What does it
mean to
be Agile?
Agile is the ability to adapt to changes as fast or
faster than changes occur.
Agile is NOT a noun…it’s an adjective
Flexible

4. A Broader
Definition
Build Cycle Build Cycle Build Cycle Build CycleBuild Cycle Build Cycle
Change Cycle Change Cycle Change Cycle Change Cycle

5.  Chilean Mine Incident
 33 Miners
 3 MILES below
 69 Days
When have you
been agile?

6. Daily
Scrum
Finished
Product
Customer
Time Boxed
Sprint
Customer
Product Owner
Product
Backlog
Sprint
Backlog

7. Iterative &
Incremental
Customer
I will know it
when I see it
Ok Let’s start with
this
Creator

8. Value Based
Releases
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
Release Value

9. 4 Aspects of
Agility

11. Execution in
Volatile Contexts
Leaders have the ANSWERS
STABLE work processes
are put in place
IMPLEMENTING CHANGE
is a huge undertaking
Feedback is ONE-WAY
Employee judgment is DISCOURAGED
Fear (of the boss) is NORMAL
Leaders set DIRECTION (strategy)
EXECUTION IN VOLITILE CONTEXTEXECUTION IN STABLE CONTEXT
TENTATIVE work processes
provide a starting point
CONSTANT SMALL CHANGES
are a way of life
Feedback is TWO-WAY
Employee judgment is ESSENTIAL
Fear inhibits EXPERIMENTATION,
ANALYSIS, and PROBLEM SOLVING
GOAL Execute on known now. GOAL Create value over the long term
Adapted from: Teaming Amy C. Edmondson | Novartis Professor of Leadership & Management | Harvard Business School

12. Leader as
Servant
Leader
Leader

13. Leaders
Set Vision and
Parameters

14. Vision and
Implementation

15. Authority
AvailabilityKnowledge
What makes a
good PO

16. Knowledge
 Understands the need
 The customer
 The product
 The law and interpretation
 How it all fits together

17. Knowledge
PO
BA

18. Availability
 Whatever it takes
 Presence
 Is a PEER member of the
team (not us/them)
 Responsible for the WHAT
 Team decides the HOW

19. Availability
PO
BA PM

20.  Power or right to give
orders, make
decisions, and
enforce obedience.
Authority

21. Legitimate Positional Police, Judge
Reward
Ability to
give rewards
Boss
Coercive
Ability to
Punish
Judge
Expert Knowledge Einstein
Referent
Persuasive,
Charisma
Mother
Theresa
Referential
Given by
reference
Project
Manager
Types of
Authority

22. The IDEAL PO
 Customer Value minded
 Only Job
 Top Priority
 Understands product
 Understands customers
 Has Political clout
 Compensated on success
 Decisions cannot be
overruled

23. Authority
AvailabilityKnowledge
What makes a
good PO

24. 4 Aspects of
Agility

25. Q&A

26. Joseph Flahiff
PMI Agile CoP
Board Member
15+ years Traditional and Agile
President of Whitewater Projects, Inc.
Author, Speaker, Coach, Consultant
joseph@whitewaterprojects.com
PMI
ACP

27.  The Absent Product Owner
 Multiple Product Owners
 The Powerless Product Owner
PO Problems

28. Absent product
owner
 Business Value minded
 Only Job
 Top Priority
 Understands product
 Understands customers
 Has Political clout
 Compensated on
success
 Decisions cannot be
overruled
?

29. Symptoms
 Decisions lag for
days sometimes
weeks
 Too busy for Demos
 Stair step
Cumulative Flow
(next slides)
?

30. Cures
 Structure
 Commitment
 Empowerment
 Deliver to inspire ?

31. Multiple
Product Owners
 Business Value minded
 Only Job
 Top Priority
 Understands product
 Understands customers
 Has Political clout
 Compensated on
success
 Decisions cannot be
overruled

32.  Decisions lag for days
sometimes weeks
 Frequently needs to
confirm direction
Symptoms

33. Cures
 More Frequent steering
meetings
 PO Chairs the Steering
committee
 Deliver to inspire

34. The Powerless
Product Owner
 Business Value minded
 Only Job
 Top Priority
 Understands product
 Understands customers
 Has Political clout
 Compensated on success
 Decisions cannot be
overruled

35. The Powerless
Product Owner
 Frequent need to get
approval
 Inability to make final
decisions
 Decisions made are
reversed

36. Power for the
Powerless Product
Owner
 Find who has the power
 Recruit them as PO
 Get them to empower
Existing
Legitimate Positional Police, Judge
Reward
Ability to give
rewards
Boss
Coercive
Ability to
Punish
Judge
Expert Knowledge Einstein
Referent
Persuasive,
Charisma
Mother
Theresa
Referential
Given by
reference
Project
Manager

37. The IDEAL PO
 Business Value minded
 Only Job
 Top Priority
 Understands product
 Understands customers
 Has Political clout
 Compensated on success
 Decisions cannot be
overruled