From Interference to Empowerment, Overcoming Micromanagement Tendencies in a Scrum Product Owner | Kulsoom Pervez

Kulsoom Pervez: From Interference to Empowerment, Overcoming Micromanagement Tendencies in a Scrum Product Owner

Read the full Show Notes and search through the world’s largest audio library on Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes.

The Great Product Owner: Customer-Centric Product Owner, Focused On Clear Prioritization And Collaboration With The Scrum Team

Kulsoom shares insights on the traits of a great Product Owner (PO), that excelled by staying close to the customer, understanding market needs, and bringing valuable insights to the team. This PO consistently communicated the vision and roadmap, while also being receptive to suggestions from the team. Notably, the PO’s ability to prioritize work effectively involved mastering the art of saying "no." This PO’s strengths included building strong relationships with the team and maintaining an open-minded approach, which facilitated a smooth and productive partnership, making the Scrum Master's role more effective and the overall team dynamic more cohesive and successful.

The Bad Product Owner: From Interference to Empowerment, Overcoming Micromanagement Tendencies in PO’s

Kulsoom discusses a Product Owner (PO) that tended to micromanage the team and focused excessively on details, neglecting the broader vision and roadmap. This over-involvement extended to interfering with estimations and pushing work onto the team rather than allowing them to pull it, often losing sight of priorities. Kulsoom advises a non-judgmental approach to understand the root causes of this behavior, such as the PO's work environment, their trust in the team, or underlying challenges they face. She emphasizes the importance of including the PO in retrospectives to build trust and address these challenges effectively.

 

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About Kulsoom Pervez

Kulsoom is passionate about constructing sustainable, resilient, and high-performing teams, consistently delivering value to customers through the transformative power of Agility. She embodies a leadership style that inspires, empowers, and fosters the growth of her colleagues. Kulsoom enjoys reading and has also dabbled in blogging.

You can link with Kulsoom Pervez on LinkedIn.