The Agile Pocket Guide: A Quick Start to Making Your Business Agile Using Scrum and Beyond

Chapter 7

Introducing the Product Owner, or Value Driver

The functions of Tribes vary: there is always a ton of work to be done ranging from analysis and research to building, hunting, and even warring. Because so many top priorities and competing interests exist in many different areas of business, we assign a Product Owner, or Value Driver, to a special leading role within the business. I often call these individuals Value Drivers because they fully and uniquely understand the priorities of different business units (and how the Agile Team must address them); they know where the highest value is at any given moment because they continually make decisions to ensure that the features or functions with the biggest benefit to the business receive primary consideration.

Product Owners (Value Drivers) work directly with Agile Teams, helping the members prioritize their workload, and also serve as intermediaries between the users and the Agile Teams. What needs to be built now? The Product Owners know, because they define project scopes and requirements. What needs to be built next? Product Owners know that too, because they prioritize and order the work. What does the team need to prepare for? Product Owners are already one step ahead in that they constantly groom the next set of requirements and priorities for their respective teams to consume. Product Owners also work directly with the stakeholders—those who give the Product Owner strategy. This is a one-person job, not a role to ...