As with any other profession, the Product Owner’s responsibilities change and their skills develop as they gain experience. Some companies have defined a career development path for PO’s using four seniority levels – Junior, Regular, Senior and Expert.
Each of the four levels has a strict set of criteria in a number of areas that the Product Owner must meet. With additional skills and more years of experience under their belt, the PO can advance through the ranks. With each rank, their value for your product increases.
Junior
A Junior Product Owner knows and follows the principles of Agile development. They gather Product requirements from you, the Client, and assure that the Team is doing “the right thing” at all times (as opposed to “doing the thing right”, which is the Development Team’s work).
A Junior understands the Product vision but still needs to learn how to support the Client in adapting it. At this level, they don’t yet have to follow good UX practices while filling out the Product roadmap. However, a Junior PO is under the mentorship of a more experienced professional who supports them in building the Product and making sure the Client’s needs are met.
Regular
A Regular Product Owner is fully independent. They don’t need any assistance in carrying out tasks from start to finish. They know how to act in different situations while cooperating with various types of Clients. They provide support to the Client and can provide advice regarding the Product requirements.
They involve the Stakeholders and/or end-users in the process, inviting them to actively take part in the development of the Product, provide constant feedback and bring new ideas on Product features. Most of the Regular POs are certified by reputable Scrum Training Organizations.
Senior
A Senior Product Owner is an above-average, experienced professional who not only brings top-quality expertise to manage project requirements but also introduces new useful tools and practices. A Senior actively supports the Client from the business point of view and provides guidance in assessing Product opportunities and risks.
They take advantage of the Product KPIs (and other business metrics) to optimize the Product. Furthermore, a Senior stays up to date with popular trends in software product development and knows how to provide even more added value to the Client based on this knowledge.
Expert
An Expert Product Owner is a mentor in their field of work. They are renowned for their knowledge not only in their Team but also among Clients and in the Agile community as a whole.
They can effectively create a Product, taking it from the Discovery phase to releasing it to the users, optimizing it every step of the way. They perfectly know the business of the Client and act as a true partner to help them grow.
Product Owner & Scrum Master Reviews: Stories from Our Customers
Over the past 2 years, almost 3,000 learners (2,819 to be exact) have come to DCM to learn more about scrum and get certified. Read (and watch) their reviews to see how our courses have helped them achieve their career goals.
Inhouse Tailored Training for Your Team
We provide training programs that are developed by industry, for industry. Our range of programs can be delivered in a way that suits the needs of your business to offer your employees learning that is accessible and flexible.
We add value to your business by providing specialised, flexible and scalable training that meets your training needs. As your workforce grows and evolves, our globally certified and industry-validated learning solutions can assess, train and qualify your employees. For more information on how we can help please visit the in-house training page.
Membership, Stay Connected. Stay Relevant.
Completing a program is a point-in-time exercise that delivers huge value, but there is a next step to maintaining the currency of your skills in the ever-evolving professional world.
Membership is the next step.
A unique platform, membership is designed to ensure that you are in tune and up-to-date with the latest tools, trends and developments. Being a member provides just-in-time training and continuous professional development, and an exclusive and evolving content library informed by subject matter experts and industry leaders.
