Clear role descriptions
Ensure that both the PO and ScM have a clear understanding of their respective roles and responsibilities. The PO focuses on defining the product vision and prioritizing the product backlog, while the ScM is responsible for supporting the team and ensuring adherence to the Scrum process. At the same time, it's essential to promote open and honest communication between the PO and ScM. They should regularly align to discuss the team's progress, challenges, and any obstacles affecting their work. It's beneficial for the entire team if the relationship between the PO and ScM goes beyond merely being business-oriented; they should get to know each other genuinely.
By doing so, you can create a psychologically safe climate where both positive and negative feedback can be addressed. If there is something very negative to be communicated, consider how to present it in a way that offers a glimmer of hope or a potential solution.
At the same time, we caution against fixating solely on the role descriptions provided on scaledagileframework.com. As mentioned in one of the previous articles, it is essential to adapt the roles to fit your unique situation and organization. Otherwise, you might end up with job descriptions that rigidly dictate employees' tasks.
Product backlog collaboration
Collaboration between the PO and ScM regarding the product backlog is crucial to ensuring that the team works on the right things in the right order and has enough information to work efficiently. Here are some concrete tips on how PO and ScM can collaborate regarding the product backlog:
- Backlog prioritization - PO is responsible for prioritizing the product backlog based on customer needs, business value, and technical limitations. The ScM can provide insights into the team's capacity and suggest a realistic workload for each sprint.
- Backlog grooming - PO and ScM should regularly collaborate in backlog grooming sessions, where they review and refine the backlog together. ScM can help identify technical debt and prevent it from accumulating by bringing it to the PO's attention.
- Story elaboration - PO is responsible for defining the requirements for each backlog item (story) so that the team has enough information to understand what needs to be delivered. ScM can ensure that the story is detailed enough to avoid misunderstandings and unnecessary uncertainty.
- Ways of working - PO and ScM should work together to find the best way to collaborate on the backlog. This may include holding joint meetings, having continuous check-ins, or using tools to manage the backlog efficiently.
- Flexibility and adaptation - Both PO and ScM should be open to adapting the backlog based on the team's experiences and customer feedback. They can jointly decide to change priorities or add new functionality based on the current situation.
- Focus on value - PO and ScM should have a shared understanding of the overall business value of each backlog item and ensure that the team works on the most valuable tasks for customers and the organization.
By collaborating on the product backlog, PO and ScM can ensure that the team has a clear and prioritized list of tasks to perform, helping them work efficiently and with focus. This collaboration also helps avoid excessive analysis and prepares the team to start delivering value to customers quickly.
Collaboration and shared goals
ScM works to support the team by removing obstacles and ensuring that the team has the resources they need to perform their work. PO supports the team by providing clear requirements and expectations for what needs to be delivered. However, there are no clear, distinct boundaries between these areas.
It is entirely acceptable for both roles to overlap somewhat, as long as they don't end up duplicating each other's efforts. Ensure that the PO and ScM share a common understanding of the team's goals and overall vision. They must work together to ensure the team has the right direction and motivation.
Invite the PO to participate in sprint planning meetings and sprint reviews, where they can provide input and gain an understanding of the team's work and progress. The ScM can participate in backlog grooming meetings to offer input on technical aspects and understand the functional requirements.
By clarifying responsibilities and collaboration between the PO and ScM, you can create an efficient collaborative dynamic that supports the team's progress and contributes to their success. Avoid conflicts and focus instead on working together to support the team. This way, PO and ScM can together help the team work in a structured and efficient manner and deliver value to their customers.
In the final and concluding article of this series, we will discuss the risk of focusing too much on SAFe without adapting the framework to the specific organization's needs and culture.
