Product Owner Team. I presented this idea at the Agile 2015 conference. The PO Team is a key to successfully implementing agile in an enterprise. I share my experience and explain the roles, activities and artifacts.

1. Agile2015
Product Owner Team:
Leading Agile
Program Management
Dean Stevens
LeadingAgile

2. Why a Product Owner Team?
Improve and Accelerate
your Agile Transformation
and Product Delivery.
Provide support, guidance
and coaching for Agile Teams
to get the job done.

3. Agile Teams:
Keys to Success
Backlog
Team
Database
Report
Screen
Clarity Accountability Measureable Progress

4. Product Owner Team:
Key Objectives
Product
Owner
Team
Feature
Agile
Team
Portfolio
Management
• Provide Clarity through a well defined Feature Backlog
• Hold Agile Teams Accountable to make and meet commitments
• Demonstrate Measurable Progress by facilitating demonstration of
integrated features
• Provide timely information to Portfolio Management for
investment decisions

5. Portfolio Management:
Key Investment Questions
• Will this Epic drive
business results
identified in
Investment Themes?
• Is this Epic ordered
relative to the other
Epics? Is this
prioritization reflected
on the Epic Backlog?
• Are we meeting
allocation by channel in
alignment with our
agreements? Is this
reflected in the Epic
Backlog?
• How big is this Epic?
Should be less than 3
months so we can
plan and “see”
progress.
• Do we need all the
Features to meet the
business goal? Start
thinking MVP.
• Is the forecasted date
acceptable? Should we
reprioritize?
• Start thinking Cost of
Delay
• Which Epics go into the
next release? Establish
release objectives.
• Are the Epics ready for
Release Planning?
• Have Epic owners
considered MVP?
• What is the confidence
in the release plan?
• Do we have credible
release plans
documented?
Strategic Alignment Detailed PlanningDemand Planning Execution Governance
• Is the software demoed?
• Have we solved the
business problem
identified in the Epic Brief?
• Should we stop building
and get market feedback
to validate our
assumptions?
• Are we making progress on
the epics?
• Are the stories ordered by
cost of delay?
Portfolio
Management

6. Product Owner Team Roles Brief Description
Product Manager (PROD) Support the valuable solution and ensure features are ordered
considering epic priorities; usually the leader of the PO Team
Solution Architect (SA) Support the technically viable solution; provide support and guidance
to Tech Leads and other technology personnel
Release Manager (RM) Support an achievable solution ensuring demand is balanced with
capacity and dependencies; facilitate release planning and protect the
release plans
QA Management (QA) Provide support and guidance for the quality of the solution; ensure
quality is considered and coordinated early
Project Manager (PM) Foster effective collaboration of the PO Team to shepherd Features
through the Kanban and ensure effective communication with the
portfolio team; AKA Scrum Master of the PO Team
Product Owner (PO) Serves as Product Owner on a team; often a Business Analyst
Product Owner Team Roles

7. Release
Planning
Story
Mapping
Solution
Vision
Release
Targeting
Investment
Validation
Delivery
Teams
Product
Owner
Team
Detailed Planning
(Clarity)
Execution Governance
(Accountability)
Accountability
Demand
Planning
Strategic
Alignment
Investment
Prioritization
Investment
Alignment
Epic Intake
Portfolio
Team
Product Owner
Teams
Delivery
Teams
Product/
Strategy
Sprint
Done
Story DemoDaily Review
Sprint
Planning
Story
Refinement
ThreeTierModel
Teamsand
Collaborations
Continuous
Improvement
Production Ready
Release
Execution
Governance
(Accountability)
Build
Ready To
Build
Release
Viability
Maximize Strategic Alignment
Increase Transparency
Increase Predictability
Reduce Time to ROI
Improve Quality
Reduce Rework
Minimize Delivery Risk
Production
Ready Release
IntegrationDevelop
and Test

8. Strategic Alignment
Purpose
• Strategic alignment and prioritization of Epics
• Shared understanding and agreement with portfolio
stakeholders
Activities
• Describe Value and Features
• Consider constraints
Artifact
• Epic Brief
• Strategically aligned Epics in Portfolio Backlog
Strategic
Alignment
Investment
Prioritization
Investment
Alignment
Epic Intake

9. Epic Brief
•Epic Title/ Product Manager
•Investment Theme (and Capability if known)
•Value Statement
Description
•Features/Benefits
•PersonasScope
•Dependencies
•Risks
•Assumptions
Constraints
•Opportunity CasePlanning
PROD articulates the Description & Scope
PROD and SA identify Constraints
Portfolio Mgmt. validates alignment to strategy & priority

10. Demand Planning
Purpose
• Validate Investment and Roadmap
• Provide Clarity through a well defined Feature Backlog
Activities
• Define and validate Features
• Initial planning for risks and dependencies
• Balance demand to demonstrated capacity
Artifacts
• Epic Brief Refined
• Epic Roadmap / Timeline
• Epic Risk Report
Solution
Vision
Release
Targeting
Investment
Validation
Demand Planning
(Clarity)

11. Epic Roadmap
PO Team defines Features
PO Team explores planning options
RM forecasts Epics on the Epic Roadmap
Portfolio Management validates Roadmap
Execution Detailed Planning Demand Planning
Program Increment N Program increment N+1 Program Increment N+2
Epic 2 Epic 3 Epic 3
Epic 2 Epic 4 Epic 4
Epic 3 Epic 4 Epic 5
Agile
Epic Roadmap
Expected Kanban
State
Agile Delivery
Team
UI A
UI B
Shared Services

12. Epic Risk Report
PM leads PO Team to assess risks
PO Team works to address and mitigate significant risks
Epics start at red; PO Team and Agile Team earns green
Portfolio Team ensures significant risks are addressed

13. Detailed Planning
Purpose
• Explore and identify “steel thread”, MVP and other options
• Provide clarity by supporting backlog refinement and planning
Activities
• Story Writing and Mapping
• Release Planning Event
• Backlog Refinement
Artifacts
• Story Map with release options
• Release Plans
• Story Backlog
Release
Planning
Story
Mapping
Ready To
Build
Release
Viability
Detailed Planning
(Clarity)

14. Release Plans
Agile Teams write and estimate stories
PO Team facilitates Release Planning Event
PO Team provides support and guidance
Portfolio Team validates sufficient planning
•Test Approach
•Technical Approach
•Environments & coordinationTechnical
•Release Management Impacts
•Production Services Impacts
•Security Impacts
•Dependency Coordination
Logistics
•Features & Stories Planned
•Go to Market PlanBusiness

15. Execution Governance
Purpose
• Provide support and guidance to Agile Teams to build and test
Stories
• Deliver integrated Features that solve the business problems
Activities
• Release Coordination Meeting
• Hold Agile Teams accountable to make and meet commitments
• Measurable Progress by facilitating demo of integrated Features
Artifacts
• Integrated Features
Production
Ready
Release
Integration
Testing
Develop
and Test
Build
Execution Governance
(Accountability)

16. • Facilitate coordination of cross team concerns
• Cultivate and consider options
• Make continue, change, kill decisions with Portfolio
Team
• Provide support, coaching and guidance to Agile
Teams
Execution Governance

17. Product Owner Team:
Key Objectives
Product
Owner
Team
Feature
Agile
Team
Portfolio
Management
• Provide Clarity through a well defined Feature Backlog
• Hold Agile Teams Accountable to make and meet commitments
• Demonstrate Measurable Progress by facilitating demonstration of
integrated features
• Provide timely information to Portfolio Management for
investment decisions

18. Detailed Guide
What will you do different tomorrow?

19. Strategic Alignment
State Leads Activity APM Tool Artifact
Epic Intake PROD Completes the Description section of the Epic Brief and finds a
Portfolio Team member to sponsor the Epic
Creates Epic Initiate Epic
Brief
Investment
Alignment
PORT Validates alignment with Portfolio Roadmap and Investment
Themes
Facilitator updates Epic
state
Investment
Prioritization
PROD Completes and validates the Features & Benefits section Create Features Epic Brief
Investment
Prioritization
PROD &
SA
Completes the Constraints section; action to address any
significant blockers (Requires high level modeling of candidate
architecture)
Create Spikes as needed Epic Brief
Investment
Prioritization
PO Team Figures Priority Score Record
Investment
Prioritization
PORT Prioritizes Epic in Epic Backlog for Investment Validation Facilitator updates Epic
State
Strategic
Alignment
Investment
Prioritization
Investment
Alignment
Epic Intake

20. Demand Planning
State Leads Activity APM Tool Artifact
Investment
Validation
PROD Validate features leveraging visual specification and prototypes Visual
Specification
Solution
Vision
PO
Team
Define Features (Feature Acceptance Criteria, Visual Specification,
NFR)
Update Features
Solution
Vision
PROD Update Capability Catalog to identify and align new features to
current capabilities
Capability
Catalog
Solution
Vision
PO
Team
Identify and initiate planning for risks and dependencies (Look
Ahead Planning)
Risk Dashboard
Solution
Vision
RM &
SA
Identify Agile Teams to own Features Update Feature Owner
Release
Targeting
RM With PROD and SA, size features and mock plan into Sprints Record Refined Estimate
for Feature
Release
Targeting
RM Updates Epic Roadmap and summarize in Epic Timeline Epic Roadmap
Release
Targeting
PM Moves feature through to Epic Breakdown done Update Feature state
Release
Targeting
RM Identifies Release Objectives for the next Release. Communicates
and validates with PORT & PO Team
Create or update Release Release
Objectives
Release
Targeting
PORT Decides whether to authorizes Epic for further investment for Agile
Teams to perform Detailed Planning
Facilitator updates Epic
State
Solution
Vision
Release
Targeting
Investment
Validation
Demand Planning

21. Detailed Planning
State Leads Activity APM Tool Artifact
Story
Mapping
PO
Team
Introduce Epic to Agile Teams who own the Features; generally a
kick off presenting Epic Brief, candidate architecture, UI mocks, and
other feature modeling
Meeting Agenda
Story
Mapping
Agile
Team
Assesses whether Features are Ready for Detailed Planning; pulls
into Story Mapping when ready
Update Feature state
Story
Mapping
Agile
Team
Write Stories and build the story map Create stories Story Map
Story
Mapping
Agile
Team
Collaborating with PROD, elicit acceptance criteria Update stories
Story
Mapping
Agile
Team
Sufficient technical design and estimate stories Update stories with
estimates
Technical Spikes
Story
Mapping
Agile
Team
Identify the “steel thread”, thin slice that follows happy path from
end to end. Determine scope options for MMF, MVP and candidate
functional releases.
Story Map
Story
Mapping
PO
Team
Supports Release Planning preparation and provides guidance on
scope options
Story Map
Release
Planning
Agile
Team
Mock plan the next Release Horizon by moving stories into iterations Add to iterations
Release
Planning
Story
Mapping
Ready To
Build
Release
Viability
Detailed Planning
(Clarity)

22. Detailed Planning
State Leads Activity APM Tool Artifact
RP Event RM Prepares Agenda and follow up to communicates preparation and
participation for Release Planning event
Agenda
RP Event Agile
Teams
Plans User Stories for the Release, plan dependencies; organize
team risk reporting
Update Release, PTD,
Iteration, story
dependencies
Initiate Risk
Reporting
RP Event RM Captures release scope plans; prepares Release Reports Validates Features and
Stories in Release Plan
Release Plan
Template
RP Event Build
Eng.
Lead source code branching strategies and planning; communicate
plans
Branching Plan
RP Event QA Mgr. Lead Test Planning including Integration and Verification of features;
communicate plans
Test Plan
Template
RP Event Security Lead security planning; communicate plans Security Plan
RP Event SA Define Technical Spikes Create Spikes
RP Event RM &
PM
Reports on release planning; Updates Epic Timeline, Epic Roadmap
and Portfolio Dashboard
Release Plans
Release
Viability
PORT Validates viable release plans to meet release objectives Facilitator updates Epic
State
Story
Refinement
Agile
Team
Begins story refinement Updates stories Specification
Release
Planning
Story
Mapping
Ready To
Build
Release
Viability
Detailed Planning
(Clarity)

23. Execution Governance
State Leads Activity APM Tool Artifact
Story
Refinement
Agile
Teams
Leads Story Refinement Updates stories Specification
Develop &
Test
PO
Team
Provide Agile Teams the environment and support they need to get
the job done, support Agile Team activities
Develop &
Test
Agile
Teams
Build, Test and Demo stories Working
Software
Integration RM Coordinates stories to build end to end functionality as identified in
Story Mapping; prepares PTD list
Export PTD list Story Map
Integration Build
Eng.
Assembles Release Components; Builds Integration environment;
Builds Staging & Production environments
Integration QA Mgr. Leads Integration testing for Features
Feature
Complete
PROD Reviews and accepts Features
Feature
Complete
PO
Team
Reviews and accepts release
Production
Ready
Release
Integration
Testing
Develop
and Test
Build
Execution Governance
(Accountability)

24. Execution Governance
State Leads Activity APM Tool Artifact
Execution
Governance
RM Monitor, coordinate and report on Release Progress. Updates Epic
Timeline and Epic Roadmap
Release Burndown,
Release Risk,
Release Status
Report
Execution
Governance
PM Monitor and report on Epic or Milestone Progress. Updates Portfolio
Dashboard.
Milestone CFD, Metrics,
Operations Review
Epic Status
Report;
Operations
Review
Execution
Governance
PORT Monitors key information to support teams, generate options and
make investment decisions
Status Reports
Execution
Governance
PM Post Launch Hyper-care management; transition to Operations Launch Plans
Production
Ready
Release
Integration
Testing
Develop
and Test
Build
Execution Governance
(Accountability)