The diary of a product owner #2 - Preparing our clients for the role of product owner

What kind of guidance can a new product owner expect?

At Boldare, we work with all kinds of clients. Some of them have already had years of experience as product owners and know what to expect from working with us. For others, this is a completely new experience and challenge - one that they gladly take on. Whenever this is the case, we organize a training session with one of our scrum masters - experts in supporting teams in their effectiveness and Scrum adoption.

How to prepare for product owner? First, the scrum master and the client meet for a one-on-one introduction to Scrum and the role of a product owner. It’s a single meeting that aims to explain the basics of the Scrum framework and your role in it. If you feel the need to know more, we organize dedicated training sessions - with both theory and practical exercises.

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What will the first-time product owner learn from us?

To perform well as a PO (short for product owner), you need to understand the Scrum framework, Agile mindset, and the roles involved in the development process. That is whywe will take the time to explain why we choose to work in Scrum and how it ensures our digital products answer users’ real needs. Our scrum master will tell you all about:

• what Scrum and Agile are, and how they are different from a waterfall approach,
• what a Scrum team is and what kind of role each member has,
• what is expected from a person working in the role of product owner from the client’s side,
• who a scrum master is and how you can benefit from working closely with one,
• what product design tools you will use when working with us.

These are the main topics that we focus on. Our training will involve short exercises that help you better understand the theory behind Scrum and digital product development. As we go along, you might have questions of your own on how to be a product owner, and our scrum master will be more than happy to answer them.

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Why do you need to know all this?

If this is your first time as a product owner, then you might feel a bit overwhelmed. After all, working in Scrum can be challenging even if you have some previous experience. Letting our scrum master prepare you is going to bring a number of benefits, such as:

• you will learn to understand or even love the role of PO,
• you will understand the benefits of working in Scrum,
• you will understand why we work in Agile instead of waterfall,
• you will understand why following Scrum principles is crucial to your product’s success.

These are the things you need to know and understand to perform well as a product owner. On top of that, we will give you access to additional materials, such as presentation slides and a MURAL board where we collaboratively work on the most important topics. It’s a good idea to come back to them from time to time and review them at your own pace.

How do you become a product owner - a summary

The role of a product owner can be challenging, but with the right guidance, anyone can do it well. And we are happy to help you get there: with introductions to Scrum and the role of a product owner, and with more extensive workshops. With a solid foundation in Scrum principles, you are on the right track to achieve your goal: building a successful digital product.