A brief, simple synopsis of the Product Owner and Product Manager's role in Agile.

1. Product Owner/ Manager
Training (Simplified)
Robert R. Betcher PMP, CSM & ACP
www.agilemethodology.us © Copyright 2015

2. 1
What is the role of the Product Owner (Manager)?
1. Creates and MAINTAINS the Product Backlog of User Stories/ Features.
2. Prioritizes and sequences the Backlog according to business value or ROI.
3. Assists with the elaboration of Themes, Epics and Features into user stories.
4. Conveys the Vision and Goals at the beginning of every Release and Sprint.
5. Represents the customer, interfaces and engages the customer.
6. Participates in the Sprint Planning Meetings, Backlog Grooming and Sprint
Reviews/ Retrospectives (Release Planning and Retrospectives in some cases).
7. Inspects/ Accepts the product progress at the end of every Sprint.
8. Can change the course of the project at the end of every Sprint.
9. Communicates status externally.
10.Terminates a Sprint if a drastic change in direction is required.
Input provided by: Jack Milunksy - COO at Brightspark

3. 2
How does a Product Owner build a backlog?
Product Owners and Managers build a backlog through interviewing Stakeholders. A
Stakeholder is a person, group or organization that has interest or concern in an
organization. Primary Stakeholders are typically the internal business customer or the
organization’s external customers. It is the Product Owner’s job to be sure that these
individuals’ investment is being spent wisely. So, how do they do this?
They Qualify the need by interviewing the Stakeholders using:
1) M o SC o W Criteria
Must Have, Should Have, Could Have & Won’t Have
2) The 5 W’s (and How)
Who, What, When, Where, Why & How

4. 3
One of the Most important roles of a Product Owner /
Manager is writing clear User Stories
What is the composition of a Clear/ Valuable User Story?
1) I N V E S T Criteria
Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small & Testable
2) S M A R T Tasks
Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Boxed

5. 4
Excellent Model of a Succinct Testable User Story
As a (role), I want to
(action) so that
(business value)
(User Story)
Given…
When…
Then…
(Acceptance Criteria or
Definition of Done)

6. 5
Is there documentation in Agile User Stories?
YES,
There is a misconception that Agile equates to no documentation. This is due
to a misinterpretation of the Agile practice: “Working Software (or Product) over
Comprehensive Documentation.” This does not necessarily translate to no
documentation, but more that a working product is the focus.
Agile embraces LEAN principles which includes LEAN Documentation. This is why it is
recommended to avoid the following conventional documentation artifacts: Business
Case, Scope Matrix, Use Case, Business Requirements Document, Functional and Non
Functional Requirements.
Instead use LEAN principles that build upon LEAN Visual Depictions of living
documents (Examples on following Slide).

7. 6
Visual Examples of a Story’s LEAN Supporting Documentation
Mock Up
Work Flow Process Flow
Wire Frame

8. 7
The END