The Great Product Owner: The Strategic Connector
Anh describes an exceptional Product Owner who went far beyond managing the backlog to become a strategic connector between customer needs, business requirements, technical constraints, and overall strategy. What made this PO remarkable was their background – they came from a developer background rather than business, yet quickly mastered the Product Owner role through dedicated learning. Despite being new to the PO role, they rapidly developed the ability to connect backlog items directly to customer pain points, often using techniques like user story mapping. This PO brought both clarity and purpose to the team, significantly boosting team motivation by helping developers understand how their work directly impacted customers and business outcomes.
The Bad Product Owner: The Proxy Problem
The worst Product Owner situation Anh encountered involved a Proxy PO who lacked the authority to make decisions independently. This created significant challenges for both the team and the PO, as every new problem or decision required seeking permission from external stakeholders. This pattern lengthened feedback cycles and demotivated both the PO and the development team, who couldn’t move forward efficiently when blocked by decisions. Anh’s approach to addressing this involved coaching the PO on engaging with external stakeholders, setting up regular touchpoints (2-3 times per week) to shorten feedback cycles, and focusing on improving the decision-making process to unblock the team. He also emphasized creating a strong network of connections for the PO to navigate the organization effectively and always having a Plan B when certain decisions couldn’t be made quickly.
Self-reflection Question: Does your Product Owner have true decision-making authority, or are they frequently forced to seek permission from others, and how is this affecting your team’s velocity and motivation?
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About Anh Vu
Anh Vu is a seasoned Project Manager with 10+ years in software delivery, Agile, DevOps, and PM. As a PMP trainer, he has empowered 200+ professionals. Passionate about continuous learning, Anh explores practical tools and methodologies to help PMs and teams succeed in fast-paced, tech-driven environments.
You can link with Anh Vu on LinkedIn.
Chris Sims is a scrum trainer, agile coach, and recovering C++ developer who helps organizations improve their productivity and happiness. Chris is the founder of Agile Learning Labs and the co-author of two best-selling scrum books: 