The worst mistakes Agile Product Owners make

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The Worst Mistakes Product Owners Make Through Their Agile Journey

Darian Rashid

[email protected]

732-213-8522

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1. Not understanding the actual problem

2. Untestable/ambiguous requirements

3. Not understanding the Customer’s priority

4. Ignoring much needed time for spikes

5. Little authority to make decisions

6. Prefer/Prioritize content over bugs

7. No “Devil’s Cut”

8. Overcommitting the team

9. Ignoring performance

10. Not understanding the team’s

culture/communication style

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1. Not (or Mis-) Understanding the

Actual CUSTOMERS’ Problem(s)

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Intimately Understand Your Customers’ Largest Problems

• “We need a web store!!”

• “No. We need an order tracking system. People don’t need to place

orders nor do they need any type of product data display.”

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2. Untestable/Ambiguous Requirements

Conventional Measurable

Create Adult Customer Profile with Preferred Phone as Home Phone

1.Launch the eCustomer Application

2.Click on ‘or register’ link

GIVEN I am at the Home pageWHEN I click on the “Register Now” LinkTHEN I will be taken to the Register screenAND I will see the following:

3.Enter the following Mandatory Details:(a) enter the valid Home phone number(b)Preferred Phone: Home(c)Preferred Contact Method: Email(d)Enter the other details given in the default demographics section of test case initialization table

GIVEN I am on the Register page

WHEN I enter the following:

THEN I will be taken to the Contact Information ScreenAND I should see the following

Title First Name Middle Name Last Name … Answer

(blank) (blank) (blank) (blank) … (blank)

Compare left and right

First Name Middle Name Last Name … Answer

Miss Bethany Smith … 9021

First Name Middle Name Last Name … Answer

Miss Bethany Smith … 9021What should I see when I click on

this link? How do I know which page I’m taken to? How do I know

that data loaded that page correctly. If this page isn’t right,

the rest of the test cannot proceed.

What other details? Which details are valid details? Which are invalid?

Each cell is a test case. The number of output values to check against

will depend on the test case.

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3a. Not Understanding the CUSTOMERS’

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3b. Everything is Priority 1

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4. Ignoring Much Needed Time for “Spikes”

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Innovation is Iterative and Needs Time for Learning

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5. Little Authority to Make Decisions

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6. Prefer/Prioritize Content Over Bugs

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Managed and Unmanaged Technical Debt

10/3

0/20

13

5/7/

2013

11/1

2/20

12

5/18

/201

2

11/2

4/20

11

6/1/

2011

12/7

/201

0

6/14

/201

0

12/1

8/20

09

6/25

/200

9

1/1/

2009

200

150

100

50

0

Date

# o

f Fi

eld

Issu

es

Open Sev 9 Field Issues

Open Sev 5 Field Issues

Open Sev 1 Field Issues

Variable

Open Field Issues 1-1-2009 - 10-31-2013

Pre-transformation With WIP Cap WIP

Cap

no

longer

in

effect

WIP

Cap

in

effect

again

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7. No

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8. Overcommitting the Team

© Agile Ethos. Do Not Reproduce 169. Ignoring Performance

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10. Not Understanding the Team’s Culture/Communication Style

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