The Product Owner (PO) is responsible for maximizing the business value in software products delivered by Agile Scrum Teams. The PO has a strong technical and operational understanding of the product, and as this is primarily an internal-facing role, they work closely with the Product Manager to gain a clear understanding of the business problems customers need the product to solve, as well as the vision and strategic direction of the overall portfolio.

In addition, the Product Owner works directly with selected partner customers to gather feedback on existing, in-flight, and proposed product features. The Product Owner uses this input, along with their own experience, to define what capabilities (i.e., value) the product should deliver and the relative priority of delivering these capabilities.

To enable this, the Product Owner works closely with their Scrum Team (or Scrum Teams in some cases) on a daily basis to refine the Product Backlog, create Features and User Stories, define Acceptance Criteria, set priorities, attend team stand-ups, accept completed stories from the team, and demonstrate the work delivered to the wider community. The Product Owner is also readily available to answer team questions and clarify requirements related to the features being developed.

Furthermore, the Product Owner typically drives the Design Partner process, whereby a selected group of SITA customers receives incremental software updates throughout the development of a new release. All requests for work to be performed by the Scrum Team are channeled through and prioritized by the Product Owner.

• Demonstrates a deep understanding of customer business needs and the outcomes expected from delivered solutions.
• Collaborates closely with the Product Manager to shape and refine the overall portfolio and product vision. Shares ownership of the product vision and ensures alignment with strategic objectives.
• Holds end-to-end accountability for product delivery, ensuring that all activities required for the operability, scalability, and sustainability of the final solution are fully integrated into scope.
• Owns and actively manages the Product Backlog, ensuring it is well-defined, prioritized, and aligned with the product roadmap.
• Develops and maintains backlog artifacts that provide sufficient detail to support delivery execution, including:
  • Functional requirements
  • Non-functional requirements
  • Acceptance criteria
• Leads functional analysis of backlog items, facilitates feature discussions, and highlights roadmap priorities to ensure clarity and alignment across stakeholders.
• Maintains a detailed, real-time understanding of delivery costs at both project and release levels, supporting informed decision-making.
• Defines Program Increment (PI) or release timeboxes and establishes clear Minimum Viable Product (MVP) scope for each release.
• Works closely with the Scrum Team to:
  • Define Sprint goals
  • Support Sprint Planning
  • Participate in Daily Stand-ups
  • Clarify requirements as needed
• Reviews team deliverables through Sprint Demos and actively evaluates outcomes, accepting or rejecting work during the Sprint and at the End-of-Sprint Review.
• Presents accepted deliverables to the wider organization and customers, ensuring transparency and stakeholder engagement.
• Leads Design Partner Programs, showcasing early product versions to customers and incorporating feedback into product evolution.
• Reviews and approves Statements of Work (SOWs) in collaboration with GEO teams prior to customer presentation.
• Ensures close collaboration with Scrum Team(s), ideally through co-location, to drive efficient delivery and communication.