By Edward Wehr
Being a product owner and having responsibility for a product's development using agile methods can be a bit overwhelming. Creating any product can be challenge. With a product being developed at the speed of agility, these challenges increase. Nothing is more frightening than feeling out of control while going at a high rate of speed. Let me reassure you, though, that it does get better. The first time you drive down that agile highway (even if you aren't yet going fast enough), it's scary. But with practice and a good understanding of what to watch for, driving an agile project becomes easier.
Because training and certification for product owners is fairly new, I've included some wisdom I've gained from my time on the agile road, which includes guiding four different teams over the past several years.
Priorities Are Priority One.
What teams need most is a product owner who is able to prioritize the product backlog. This includes adjusting priority based on new information and juggling the team's needs for work against customer features. A product owner must understand and be willing to have the critical conversations with team members regarding stories (work) that are not direct customer features, yet will develop an architecture that will enable the team to achieve more work (higher velocity) in the future. Balancing all of these competing stories, and the emerging importance and changing priorities that come with them, is a constant struggle.
