#165 – Work On This

Sometimes, especially in the beginning of agile transformations, we see Managers take on a Product Owner cap and act as a part-time PO. This can lead to sub-optimal dynamics in the interaction between the Product Owner and the rest of the Scrum Team, as, in some cultures, it can be difficult to challenge your superiors. If this is unavoidable, at least avoid having Managers be Product Owners for their direct reports.

Furthermore, it’s a full time job to be a Product Owner, as it’s both about looking inwards to the Scrum Team as well as outwards to the market and competitors. So, thinking that it can be done satisfactorily on the side of being a Manager is utopia and will lead to the Developers being unhappy because they neither have a present Product Owner nor a fully invested Manager.

Therefore, insist on getting the budget for a Full Time Employee to hire a Product Owner if you’re really serious about going agile—the Product Owner is vital to your value-add.