The product owner prioritizes backlogs, plans product development stages, interprets, and works up to customers’ requirements. A fundamental part of the agile methodology, the product owner curates and handles the vision board. But with this role comes an amalgamation of principles and some undeniable product owner tools. Agile methodology is a continuous effort and requires the product owner to have a vision before anything else. While you can, of course, master it all with top Agile certifications, let’s understand who the product owner is and what product owner tools really count.
Who is a Product Owner?
A product owner is someone who makes sure that a project is moving in the direction it is supposed to. The product owner plans to manage and optimize the product backlog. This role is a key member of the Scrum framework, an Agile methodology that establishes consistent communication and ensures better management in a team.
The product owner is responsible for creating a vision of the product’s functionality and potential, mapping out user journeys, and assessing pain points that need work. The most important roles and responsibilities of the product owner include the following:
- Creating a product backlog
- Creating user stories
- Identifying challenges and product requirements
- Making sure that the customer requirements and product are on the same page
- Ensuring that the product vision is acknowledged and understood by the team and stakeholders
The product owner is responsible for prioritizing the stages of product development. He must also make sure that every team member and stakeholder is communicated about the product roadmap, vision, and progress. Product owner tools give a hand to product owners in pacing up to the organizational goals and product growth.
From communication to reporting and analysis, these tools cover different areas of Scrum agile methodology and add value to the product’s vision. If you are planning to master the product owner skills and ace the roles and responsibilities that come with this role, learn it all with the best PSPO course. This course will help you understand the basics of scrum and agile and teach you how to use the tools and techniques in your product’s best favor.
While the product owner tools help streamline communication and boost both the technical and creative aspects of the product, they are important for more than these reasons. The product owner tools add value to an array of areas that fall in the product development cycle. The tools help:
- Define the product value and vision
- Roadmap
- Create a backlog
- Perform analysis
- Take effective decisions
Product owner tools ensure consistency and focus on the product development process and allow product owners to maximize the value of the product they work on.
Now that we know who the product owner is and what roles and responsibilities they have to accomplish at the desk, the next question is how. What are the ways, methods, or tools product owners use in order to manage and achieve their goals? Well, there are many.
Let’s take a look at some of the most important product owner tools or product owner toolkits that help assist in different aspects of the role.
1. Organizational Chart
It all starts with knowing the company’s backbone, which is a group of people who are working together towards a common goal. Creating an organizational chart is one of the most important to-dos in the product owner toolbox. It implies knowing, understanding, and documenting the people with whom you’d work, what they do, and how they will accompany you in the project. For example, when you join an organization as a product owner, create a chart wherein you will put the names, roles and responsibilities, and other useful information that might be of reference to you in the future. Pro tip? Don’t shy away from asking coworkers questions about the key players in a project or the organization.
2. Stakeholder Map
Now that you know the organization and have used the first of all product owner tools and techniques by learning about the key members - it is time to understand each person’s role and interest in the product. In this one of the tools used by product owners, you have to pay attention to the impact each individual from your organizational chart has on the growth of your product. It doesn’t stop there. The stakeholder map also entails establishing a communication and engagement model. After all, you must know whom you’d report to, what team you would manage, which stakeholders you’d inform, etc. It is only after this little yet crucial task that you will be able to plan things out in an organized fashion.
3. Product System & Environment Diagram
Well, it is one of those product owner tools and techniques that should definitely not be underestimated. Creating a thorough system diagram comes in handy at times. You can ask someone experienced to draw one for you. What matters in this aspect of your product owner toolbox is learning the systems that will be a part of your product. For example, if there’s certain software that you will need to accomplish tasks related to your product, it is crucial to ensure that everything is in order before you jump-start the process. To do that, you may seek assistance from the technical lead or a senior member of the technical department to know the systems well.
4. Reports & Analysis Tools
As a product owner, it is imperative that you know and understand the pace and progression of your product. One of the best tools for product owners has to be the reports and analysis tool - for all the good reasons. For example, you want to check the performance of your product and see if it is moving as per the expected speed. With a reporting tool, you will be able to analyze the progress you have made within a certain timeline. Now this will not only help you unleash the data about your customers and other key points but will also help you make further decisions based on the given analysis.
5. Lean Business Case / Lean Canvas
The Lean Business Case / Lean Canvas is typically a document that is used for intimating the opportunity assessment, and the scope of its use can vary depending on your business objectives. For example, you can use a template to highlight the challenges, factors, or potential risks that might appear in the future. Using a vision board will not only bring out these aspects to the front but will also allow you to determine the best course of action. While it is one of the product owner tools that requires thought, far-sighted thinking, and focus, it is the best way to evaluate risks and problems and understand the organizational goals.
6. Personas
As a product owner, creating a persona will enable you to understand who will use your product and the features you offer. You can ask someone who specializes in research to create a persona or do that all by yourself. It is, undoubtedly, one of the most important product owner tools you need by your side. After all, it is that one technique that will tell you all about the customer goals, segments, pain points, target areas, and a lot more that you must know to put the best foot forward.
7. Customer Journey Map
Again, one of the best tools for product owners. It is essential to map out the intel about customers’ interaction with your product. Viewing your product from your customer’s vantage point opens the door to many more realizations and insights that prove to be of great value. It helps you reflect on the turning points where a customer finds your product good or not good.
When you map out the entire customer journey, for instance, you may find out a feature that customers find confusing, and that needs a tidbit of enhancements. If you thoroughly understand the journey, it will allow you to bring out the key areas that demand improvement. Overall, it is one of the product owner tools that unlock the opportunities for you to align your organizational goals with customers’ expectations.
8. User Story Map
Fighting off a backlog can be haywire at times. While it’s natural for your team to have a backlog from moment to moment, it can also build a wall against productivity and long-term goals. Can you work up to both the near-term and long-term goals simultaneously? Yes. One of the best product owner tools and techniques is user story mapping. It is the process in which the team highlights the interaction between the product and customers in a specific way to understand the overall functionality of the product. With this technique, you can gain a complete view of future tasks while working on the current or upcoming to-dos.
9. Backlog
No matter what product you’re working on or what organizational goals you are accelerating towards, you have to pay attention to the team backlog. As a product owner, you must first learn everything that you can about the tools that are being used in the organization. It will help you set realistic goals and save time. For example, if you are planning to get things organized, you can create reporting systems and implement labels and filters to segregate the data into various categories. Doing this will help you prioritize tasks and bring the process in order.
10. Roadmap/ Objectives
It goes without saying that in order to achieve a goal or even a milestone, you must know and very well understand the vision. One of the best tools for product owners to win this aspect is road mapping. Whether you create a list of all your goals or plan a journey, discussing the vision and direction is non-negotiable. While it may take effort, thought process, and time, it is there to make things more seamless for you with a few simple must-haves. For example, adding details and descriptions to your goals and results can unfold a direction that otherwise would have been impossible to identify.
11. Prototyping Tool
Visuals speak volumes. When discussing the working model, it is one thing to talk about and a totally different thing to show the picture of what the future looks like. Providing a visual representation of anything related to your product (for example, concept, challenges, or a new feature) will allow your team and stakeholders to look across the window without making an extra effort. That’s how and why prototyping tools work.
12. Demos / Screenshots / Recordings
One of the best tools for product owners and not to mention an essential for the future of the product, a demo is what accelerates the pace of your plan. There are many ways to offer a demo. For example, when you are about to launch a new category for your product, you can use screenshots or recordings to communicate the same to others.
13. Collaboration Tools
One of the most important product owner tools and, arguably - an underestimated one. You discuss a lot of things with different members of your team and stakeholders. You may be able to manage a steady flow of communication with everyone, but what makes a difference, in this case, is the alignment of everyone’s ideas and performances aligned. That’s when collaboration tools come in handy. Using one helps you make sure that everything is moving in one direction. Moreover, it keeps everyone engaged, enhances communication, and minimizes the risk of errors.
How do you determine the right tools product owners can use to successfully get a task moving? Here’s the ground rule: keep your product goals and strategies in mind. The right product owner's tools are the ones that align with your plan and back the process every step of the way. In order to choose the one for your product, consider the following factors:
- Usability: Does the tool come with a steep learning curve? If that’s the case, then it might end up demanding a good amount of your time just to master it. Look out for options that are easy to learn and offer good support.
- Integration: It’s a crucial factor. It’s always best to have a product owner tool that facilitates integrations with other tools, such as Google Drive and Excel (for starters).
- Features: How well does the tool add value to your plan? Does it have all the features you’re looking for? The right product owner tool for you will be the one that offers the features and ease that simplify the workflow.
Moreover, you can also turn your eyes to the price factor. Does the tool add value to your product for the money it costs? If yes, then you can give it a shot.
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Here are the topmost benefits of implementing product owner tools in the product development process:
- Prioritization of the product backlog: The product owner tools allow you to prioritize the items in your backlog, which ensures that everything is being delivered the way it’s supposed to. On top of everything, the product owner gives a hand to product owners in delivering features that match customer expectations.
- Communication with stakeholders: The product owner toolkit allows you to ensure effective communication with your stakeholders and makes sure that your ideas and their expectations are on the same page.
- Better decision-making: The product owner tools offer detailed reports and analysis on product growth. Moreover, they establish strong collaboration among the team members and stakeholders. It results in better decision-making and enhanced prioritization of the next steps.
- Product road mapping: One of the most important roles of product owner tools is pacing up the road mapping process. The tools can help you detail everything about your product and identify the challenges, risks, and evolving customer needs.
- Alignment between the product and business goals: Since the product owner tools improve communication, road mapping, and decision-making, it gets a lot easier for the product owner to come up with strategies that set up an alignment between the product and business objectives.
Conclusion
With everything that we discussed in this section, it is straightforward - a product owner must excel in a variety of aspects to gear up to that one major goal. Irrespective of the industry or domain, a product owner must understand the customer's requirements and be able to strike a balance between their expectations and the product’s workability. This is just an example of the core values and ideas that mold an ideal product owner.
Planning to make your own path for a product owner journey? If yes, then you must equip yourself with both the technical aspects and values that a product needs the command over. The CSPO training by KnowledgeHut is your perfect platform to launch your product owner career and earn certification for your expertise in Scrum product owner principles, frameworks, skills, and tools. From basics to technical knowledge, this course will be your torchlight towards learning the best ways to boost product value and touch the vision.
