Should You Become a Product Owner?

[@timeggenberger2971]

This is a great video. I just accepted a role as Product Owner with the retail company I have been with for over 16 years. I started as a sales associate, worked my way up to general manager and other various roles. A few years ago, I enrolled on college and just recently obtained a BS in Computer Science with aspirations of becoming a developer. There were no opportunities for that role within my org, but they offered me the PO role. I somewhat blindly accepted the role, but upon watching this video I am confident I have what is needed to be successful. Thank you for the great breakdown. Looking forward for what’s to come.

[@MountainGoatSoftware]

Congratulations on your promotion, and especially to such a cool role as product owner. I think you'll love it. Good luck! And I'm glad you liked the video. Thanks.

[@sksdbull]

Thanks for sharing Mike. I watch all your videos and read all articles and i find its really great and helpful.Currently I'm playing A Scrum master role and seeking for product owner down the line. Thanks again!

[@MountainGoatSoftware]

Thank you

[@vaibhavsoni6102]

Hi Sir could you please suggest is it the correct move in PO from QA with 13 years of experience? and no prior experience in BA or PO.

[@MountainGoatSoftware]

That's something you'll need to answer for yourself. I think it can be a very good career path. But it depends on your skills and desires. Testers often excel in these roles. Good luck deciding.

[@vaibhavsoni6102]

Thanks for responding ​@@MountainGoatSoftware

[@thedaydreamy]

I want to make a transition from development team lead to Product owner, Please share some tips thank you.

[@MountainGoatSoftware]

I'll add this to my backlog. Good luck with the switch.

[@АртемТкачев-э8и]

Thank you for your video! It is simple, interesting and gives things to think about!

[@MountainGoatSoftware]

My pleasure!

[@Jspahni1]

Ive gotten my CSPO certification, and I've got 3 years in my current Product Owner role, I'm landing interviews but having a hard time getting picked up at a new organization. I'm thinking i just need to keep picking up peripheral skills

[@MountainGoatSoftware]

Landing interviews is great! It's always beneficial to learn new skills but using your current role as a Product Owner is a great way to validate that they're effective. Good luck!

[@077serpa]

excelente video , muchas gracias

[@MountainGoatSoftware]

Con gusto.

[@phd_angel4192]

Sorry but your video is a tad confusing. It gives the impression that PMs evolve into POs, but the job title is (PO) is quite misleading. They don't own any product, they are just project managers controlling managerial tasks within scrum. PMs are the real "owners" of the product, right?...

[@MountainGoatSoftware]

That isn't how I teach the product owner role and it's not how it should be done.

[@T800-x6s]

No, the customer is the real owner of the product, the PO is the one that ensures that the product delivered is what the customer wants. The PO takes ownership of the product delivered to the customer, they only "own" the product in the sense that they are accountable for the delivered product.

[@MountainGoatSoftware]

@@T800-x6s Well said.

[@pmshadow]

Very insightful! Thanks for sharing.

[@MountainGoatSoftware]

You're welcome!

[@umeshchandgond6985]

Very helpful and useful

[@MountainGoatSoftware]

Thank you!

[@anniegrace6526]

How can a scrum master transition to product owner role?

[@MountainGoatSoftware]

It's usually important for a product owner to have a deep understanding of a domain or industry. I'd focus on developing that while a Scrum Master and then targeting a transition within your own organization. I've always found it good to be open about that with your current boss--tell them you want to work toward becoming a PO. A good manager will work with you to make that happen over time. Good luck making the transition!

[@belalmamdouh-dd8ki]

Hey Mike. It`s my first time ever to watch a video for you, that`s why I need to thank you for your simple way of explaining things. I just made a career shift and now I am working as a product owner I really like the role, but I feel that I am a little bit confused about what exactly the PO should do. what is the primary process I follow to become a good PO? How can I improve myself to become more better in this role? Thanks.

[@MountainGoatSoftware]

Congratulations, Belal, on becoming a product owner. I'm not surprised you're enjoying the role. How to become a good PO is a huge topic but here are a few suggestions. Learn everything you can about communicating well with stakeholders, users, and your team members. Identify a compelling vision for your product. It doesn't have to be "cure cancer" compelling but identify a strong vision for how your product can improve the lives of users and share that with your team members. Learn about the product backlog and the strengths and weaknesses of ways to use it including user stories, job stories, story mapping and more. Learn about customer development. Find a couple of techniques you like for prioritizing product backlog items that work and that you can explain to others. Act as part of the team rather than separate and aloof. That should be a good start :) Good luck.

[@IlllIlllIlllIlll]

Do you have a video like this describing a business analyst? Now, I wonder if I should go after a BA before applying for a PO. But it would be interesting either way for you to tackle a BA position the way you did here describing a PO

[@MountainGoatSoftware]

Thanks for the suggestion. I've added this to my Videos to Create backlog .

[@danielmoncada1883]

Hi! Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Agile estimating and plannig helped me a lot passing the professional PO certification. I used to be a lawyer and now im a refugee in France, needed to adapt and reinvent myself and i found out about Agile manifesto and the scrum guide. I got my diploma in agile and the PO certification. My question is, wich software and other abilities (like business process modeling notation) would you recommend to get? Thanks again, keep the good work going!

[@MountainGoatSoftware]

Thanks, Daniel, and congratulations on the success you've had. Your question is a tough one as it depends on where you want to go with your career. I'd suggest looking one or steps ahead in what you want to do, see what skills are needed for that position that you don't have today, and start developing those. That way you'll have good experience in those skills when the time comes. Business process modeling is certainly a good skill to acquire. Anything with customer or product analytics could be good as well. Good luck!

[@bolajiyoloye8968]

How can someone recently certified product owner, but with only experience of being a configuration and release management transition into being a product owner?

[@MountainGoatSoftware]

Every career move is different for each person. The simplest way is to get a job as a Product Owner. Apply for PO jobs and try to get hired as one. However that's not always possible and, in general, experience is favored when changing careers. Now that you're certified and understand the role of a Product Owner; try to gain experience in that PO role wherever you can. If you're able to take on some of the responsibilities of a PO at your current company then do so. If that's not possible you might want to consider donating your time and skills to a local organization that you align with. Oftentimes local non-profits will be very happy to give you the necessary job experience if you offer to volunteer with them. Don't replace your job with volunteer work, but in your free time, volunteer as a PO with that organization to gain some experience.

[@bolajiyoloye8968]

@@MountainGoatSoftware Fantastic advice, Mike. Appreciate that. I've been applying, but the volunteering work is a good steer. Many thanks!