Agile methodologies have been around for quite a long time now, yet multiple companies are still struggling to adapt them as a way of organically delivering their projects and adding value to their organizations. The road to agile is filled with hurdles, obstacles, and uncertainty which should be familiar to most of the companies walking this road. It is not an easy endeavor; however, once you start to become mature and your processes are more robust, you will be able to enjoy the benefits of adopting this type of mindset—yes, a mindset—because agile methodologies are not just a framework but a change in perspective away from traditional methodologies.
Jhonny Galeano
Solution Architect
“Agile methodologies are not just a framework but a change in perspective away from traditional methodologies”
Talking about Scrum, which is one of the most used agile frameworks nowadays, we often hear about the Scrum Team and the Scrum Master both being the building blocks of the Scrum framework. Indeed, they are important, but I would like to highlight the importance of the Product Owner (PO) role for an agile project to be successful. The PO is a key variable in the equation, and here is why:
Product Owners are professionals who have all the business acumen of any given company’s vertical, product, or service. It They don’t need to be tech-savvy people, but it is important that they have a full understanding of your business domain. Their main responsibility in an agile team is to maximize the ROI (Return on Investment) produced by the team. For this, the POs strive to have a healthy backlog of user stories (requirements in Scrum) that the team can implement. They also have the final word in approving or rejecting the team’s delivery. Here’s the key difference between agile and traditional methodologies: in traditional, you bring the requirements to the team and then wait until the final implementation to perform the user acceptance testing, as opposed to agile methodologies, where the approach is to do it iteratively and incrementally, and here the key is the involvement of the PO within the team on a daily basis from the user stories refinement, implementation, deployment, testing, and final approval.
“In agile, the iterative and incremental value approach requires ongoing communication, and here the key is the involvement of the PO within the team on a daily basis”
One of the most common mistakes companies make when going all in for the first time with agile methodologies is the absence of a product owner, making the very first recommendation to always have a product owner available and dedicated to each Scrum Team. On the other hand, if you are a company with a good maturity level with agile methodologies, the invitation is to keep it up and always strive to include POs in your agile projects. An agile team without a PO is like a fully equipped plane with a highly capable and professional pilot and crew but without a clear understanding of what their destination is. In this scenario, the plane will have difficulty transporting its passengers to their destination. In this comparison, the passengers would be the project stakeholders at your organization, and the destination would be your project completion.
Communication is the most crucial skill a PO should have. This role demands constant dialog with the internal business stakeholders, Scrum Master, developers, quality assurance engineers, and other professionals related to the project. Although the PO does not need to have previous experience or knowledge of agile methodologies like Scrum, it is strongly recommended that before engaging with the team and the project, the PO can understand the basic concepts, meetings, roles, and responsibilities in a Scrum Team.
“Communication is the most crucial skill a PO should have”
The PO does not need to be an expert in agile methodologies for the project to go in the right direction; usually, the approach is to have a business analyst (BA) on the team side, which will be the PO’s counterpart facing the team. The main responsibility of the BA is to help the PO with the backlog, refine the user stories, and serve as the main liaison with the team. If the PO is a novice, he will usually be covered by a more experienced BA in the field. On the other hand, if the PO is an expert, he will find good support from the BA to help maximize the value delivered by the team.
At MAS Global Consulting, we walk the talk. We are experts in agile methodologies, not only theoretically but also from a practical standpoint. If you are from a company that is just starting with your agile transformation, we are here to help. We can offer you specific training and consulting to steer your agile journey in the right direction.
If you are already well-versed in agile methodologies, we can still help you. Our team of experts is composed of high-caliber nearshore resources with proven experience in agile methodologies and specific technology stacks to support your projects. Finally, if there is not anybody in your organization available to fill the PO role for your agile projects, we can also help in this field. We have experts in multiple industries, such as manufacturing, healthcare, financial, technology, retail, Big Tech, and others, ready to support your project needs.