The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team. The Product Owner is responsible for managing and refining the Product Backlog, collaborating with the stakeholders and the Developers, and ordering the items in a way that best achieves goals and missions. The Product Owner represents the interests of everyone with a stake in the product and ensures that the Scrum Team works on the right things at the right time.
The Developers are accountable for creating a “Done” Increment that meets the Definition of Done each Sprint. The Developers are responsible for planning and executing the Sprint Backlog, designing and building the product functionality, testing and improving the product quality, and delivering a potentially releasable Increment. The Developers work closely with the Product Owner to understand and clarify the Product Backlog items, provide feedback and estimates, and suggest improvements and innovations.
A Sprint is a timebox of one month or less within which a “Done” product Increment is created. A Sprint consists of the Sprint Planning, Daily Scrums, the development work, the Sprint Review, and the Sprint Retrospective. A Sprint is also a feedback loop that allows the Scrum Team and the stakeholders to inspect and adapt the product and the process.
The Sprint Goal is a short statement of what the Scrum Team intends to achieve during a Sprint. It provides guidance and direction for the Scrum Team, as well as a basis for inspecting and adapting the product and the process. The Sprint Goal is aligned with the product vision and goals, and it reflects the value and purpose of the Sprint.
In the middle of a Sprint, if a customer decides that there are two new features she wants, there are two possible ways that a Product Owner could handle this situation:
Ask the Developers to consider whether they can add these features to the current Sprint without endangering the Sprint Goal: The Product Owner could discuss with the Developers if they have enough capacity and skills to accommodate these new features in their current Sprint Backlog. The Product Owner could also explain why these features are valuable or urgent for the customer or user. The Developers could then decide if they can or want to add these features to their current work plan, or if they prefer to defer them to a future Sprint. The Developers should not compromise on quality or scope to fit these features in their current Sprint. The Developers should also ensure that these features are aligned with or support the current Sprint Goal.
Add these features to the Product Backlog: The Product Owner could add these new features to the Product Backlog as new items. The Product Owner could then order these items based on their value, risk, priority, dependency, feedback, or market conditions. The Product Owner could also refine these items with more details or acceptance criteria. The Product Owner could then plan to include these items in a future Sprint, depending on their order and availability.
The other options are not valid or relevant ways that a Product Owner could handle this situation. They are either too disruptive, impractical, or irrelevant. They are:
Introduce these features at the next Daily Scrum: This is not a valid way for a Product Owner to handle this situation. The Daily Scrum is an event for the Developers to inspect their progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt their plan for the next 24 hours. The Daily Scrum is not a status meeting or a reporting session for anyone else. The Product Owner may attend the Daily Scrum as an observer or as an invited participant if they have something valuable to contribute or if they need some clarification from the Developers. However, introducing new features at this event would be disruptive and inappropriate for both parties.
Have the Scrum Master add these features to the current Sprint: This is not a valid way for a Product Owner to handle this situation. The Scrum Master is not responsible for adding or removing any work from the current Sprint. The Scrum Master is accountable for establishing Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide. The Scrum Master is responsible for promoting and supporting Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide. The Scrum Master does this by helping everyone understand Scrum theory and practice, both within the Scrum Team and the organization.
