YDS: How Does a Scrum Master and Product Owner Collaborate?

Today's question is all about the relationship between the Scrum Master and the Product Owner. Specifically, how do they work together and communicate on a day-to-day basis? All of this and more are discussed in today's episode of Your Daily Scrum with Todd Miller and Ryan Ripley.
How well do your SM and PO get along? Let us know in the comments!
This is one of those Scrum Master interview questions about Scrum that can throw you off. Do you understand why the Scrum Master and Product Owner must have a great relationship? These Scrum Master day in the life questions can be tricky. Perhaps some Scrum Master training could help? Want to learn more about Scrum?
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[@lenalena2151]

Thank you so much for your videos and explanations! ✊🏻 I have a similar topic, but not with a Scrum role: How do a Scrum master and a department lead work together? I am the SM and my teammates all come from different departments such as frontend, backend, testing ... and all have different department leads who want to intervene and determine. Everyone even has their own daily stand-up with their department lead and "the other" team (department), and I have to explain to my teammates why they belong to two different teams (Scrum + department)...

[@dav6128]

So helpful - I now need to go and ‘stop, collaborate, and come along side my PO’

[@kensaiyeahyeah123]

Right on time boys! My PO and I just had a conversation on how to improve our collaberation 👍

[@AgileforHumans]

Awesome!!!

[@supergirls3985]

Collaboration is the key (via communication)...

[@lenalena2151]

And can I raise a second question and video-idea: who is responsible for monitoring productive stage? 🤩 In my company the management says "you build it you run it" so the teams need to monitor themselves... Thank you 🤩

[@miriamsworld127]

Great video!

[@constancengamelue4325]

I love the idea of openness❤

[@dhilhussain]

Gum comment cheered me up man!

[@amymartinez5998]

Love the video. Couldn’t agree more that the PO/SM relationship is a “ride or die” relationship. What advice can you give to a SM who has done everything they can to establish trust and support with their PO, and the PO completely shuts the SM out when they ask questions like, “Is the juice worth the squeeze?” I.e., the PO responds with, “Quit swimming in my lane.”

[@AgileforHumans]

The Scrum Master is accountable for the effectiveness of the Scrum Team. Value is part of that equation. You're in your lane. What is the PO hiding/concerned about/not measuring?

[@amymartinez5998]

@@AgileforHumans Thank you for your response. It is affirming to hear that I am on the right track. Great question about what the PO may be hiding or is concerned about, and possibly not measuring. I have worked with a few POs that are fiercely protective of what is in their “lane of responsibility,” and have reacted quickly to shut down questions I have raised about value. I struggle with my approach to uncover the root cause of this seemingly fierce protective behavior because the PO is so unwilling to share, due to what I can only assume is a lack of trust. The most frustrating part of being a Scrum Master is gaining the trust of a PO who, for what could be due to larger organizational culture issues, or personal life experiences, is very untrusting of the Scrum Master’s intentions. I would love advice on approaches on how to uncover what the PO may be hiding, concerned about or not measuring. Perhaps the only approach that works in these types of scenarios is time? Perhaps there may be no approach that works if the PO is simply convinced they cannot trust and is unwilling to be transparent?

[@ayandas874]

In my current position, the question reads out as "How do I collaborate with myself?"

[@pentzzsolt]

How does a Product Owner compare to a Business Analyst?

[@indianmaakan790]

Nice conversation, What is the book name you mentioned about 'Openess' please ?

[@MrShairKhan]

Should a product owner be predictable?

[@kensaiyeahyeah123]

ToddDoesScrum

[@kensaiyeahyeah123]

ScrumTrainerT

[@kensaiyeahyeah123]

WillScrum4Food 😀

[@naterciagomes]

The idea of collaboration is quite "cute" to hear, in my situation my PO assumes that we are supposed to fight more than collaborate because of the nature of our roles (PO representing business interest, SM representing team's interest) Just by writing I understand now the mistake we are making. But how can we change this belief?

[@AgileforHumans]

Stop fighting. Take two to tango.

[@hvitis]

Lots of bs. No wonder so many burnouts in this job

[@AgileforHumans]

Who hurt you, Adam?

[@kensaiyeahyeah123]

TheScrumFixer

[@kensaiyeahyeah123]

Twitter handle for Todd: ScrumZilla