Characteristics of a Product Owner

A Product Owner works to maximize the value of their product with the rest of the Scrum Team. To be effective in this accountability, a Product Owner must be strategic and resilient. They possess a combination of communication and analytical skills that allows them to drive a clear vision, make decisive decisions, foster collaboration and drive continuous improvement in order to advocate for their customers in creating a successful product.

The following resources provide more commentary about the characteristics and skills necessary to be an effective Product Owner:

Blog Post
Picture for Barry Overeem Barry Overeem
During a recent Product Owner training I gave the participants the assignment to complete the sentence "A great Product Owner..." The result was a nice overview of characteristics, skills and conditions necessary to fulfill this role in a great manner. In this blog post I'll share the result, comple...
4.9 from 7 ratings
January 19, 2016
Learning Series
Product Ownership requires a distinct set of capabilities and skills. These skills and capabilities are described here. Please note that we are describing Product Ownership here, meaning it does not tie into any specific person, role, function or accountability. This learning series illustrates what needs to be done from the Product Ownership perspective when developing products. The Scrum framework describes a Product Owner as a set of accountabilities that a person can take up. In which ca...

 

 

Webcast
In this Scrum Pulse webcast, PST Mary Iqbal will explore the accountability of the Product Owner and walk the audience through characteristics of an effective Product Owner.
4.7 from 12 ratings
Blog Post
Picture for Todd Miller Todd Miller
So much has been written about a Scrum Master needing to have facilitation skills. But what about a Product Owner? In this article, I’d like to make the case that a Product Owner having facilitation skills is as important as a Scrum Master having them.
5 from 1 rating
January 5, 2024

 

 

Blog Post
Picture for Robbin Schuurman Robbin Schuurman
What is a Product Owner? What are the differences between a Product Owner and Project Manager? Isn’t a Product Owner some kind of an Agile Project Manager? These are some of the questions we often get from people in our Scrum.org classes.
5 from 10 ratings
March 12, 2020

 

Blog Post
Picture for Ciprian Banica Ciprian Banica
The Product Owner should leverage their detailed product knowledge and customer insights, thereby influencing strategic initiatives driving the product's long-term success and market competitiveness.
5 from 1 rating
August 6, 2024

 

More Resources:

Web Page
Managing Products with Agility results in products that provide valuable business outcomes, increased flexibility to respond to change, and greater transparency for investment decisions in product development. A clear and understandable Product Vision helps to align product development with the orga...
Web Page
Core Courses for Product Owners In the Professional Scrum Product Owner™ course, you will explore Professional Scrum and develop an understanding of the critical role that the Product Owner plays on the Scrum Team. There are many myths and misconceptions about the role of the Product Owner. The acc...

 

 

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Learning Series
A Product Owner is the member of the Scrum Team that is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team. Learn more about what that means and a few of the common myths about Product Owners.