Debunking the Myth of an Always-Available Product Owner
Last year, whilst preparing for the Scrum.org certification series, I often encountered questions regarding the unavailability of the Product Owner. The effectiveness of the Scrum Team can indeed be affected when the Product Owner is absent. What if the Product Owner is always available? Would it have an impact on the team’s effectiveness? What should the Scrum Team do when the Product Owner is unavailable? As a team member with multiple accountabilities, I take on the accountabilities of both Scrum Master and Product Owner simultaneously (and occasionally even a Developer when urgently required). Influenced by and misunderstanding the implications of the questions regarding the Product Owner’s unavailability, I initially made myself as available as possible during the early stages. Whenever the developers needed clarification, I would always be there to ensure that all Product Backlog Items were transparent and well understood. ...