Robust Scrum Product Owner from Udemy

"I would like to thank you for your course. You have done an amazing job." - George-Liviu Neculita, Product Owner, Volvo

"I have been working as a PO for seven years. Your course is amazing." - David Pereira, Product Owner, limango GmbH

"Thank you so much for creating the robust Product Owner course. It is, for me, the exact approach I needed to wrap my head around the position and its responsibilities." - Hans Fernandez, Central Square

“Michael's passion and enthusiasm for Agile practices is evident both in the way that he presents his material and the subject matter itself.” - Jamie Phillips, Consulting Software Engineer, Picis

"I tend to be a fairly cynical and critical person. I have gone to a lot of seminars and often find myself leaving them feeling like it was not a good use of my time.

Yet, I am only on slide 1 of Module 2, and the amount of time I'm spending nodding my head up and down in agreement with your points is already noteworthy. Even a simple point you made about user stories, and how there is no universal right or wrong way to do it, is something I have NEVER heard expressed so well, even at Business Analyst focused seminars. I'm enjoying how you break this down and explain these concepts." - Brian Cargas, Product Owner, Cargill

Are you a Scrum Product Owner? Are you not sure how to run experiments to validate your backlog? Do you want to learn how to collaborate with your team and stakeholders? Do you want to make accurate prioritization decisions that maximize value? Then this course is for you.

This course is the fastest path you can take to 'level up' your Scrum Product Owner skills.

This course is for people who have taken a one to three day course on Scrum Product Ownership (or have equivalent experience) and want to ‘raise the bar’ on their skills. Introductory Product Owner courses tell you ‘what’ you need to do but not ‘how’ to do it. This course shows you, through detailed examples, exercises, and homework, ‘how’ to be a Scrum Product Owner.

In this course, you will learn:

The mindset of successful Scrum Product Owners. You will learn how your mindset influences your actions and how to construct an effective mindset.
How to interact with the Development Team and stakeholders. What practices can you put in place that will make you more successful?
Hypothesis-driven development: How to make sure that the items in your backlog are valuable.
EXACTLY what you are responsible for during the planning, refinement, and review meetings. And how to execute on those responsibilities effectively.
How to visualize your work. You will learn what managers care about and how they think about product ownership.
The characteristics of a Product Owner and how to increase your ability to work with the team.

You will get spreadsheets and recipes that take the STRESS out of being a Scrum Product Owner.

In addition to the course material, you will receive two one-on-one 25 minute coaching sessions with me. I will share with you what I’ve learned training and consulting at eBay, Carbonite, edX, Paypal, Symantec, Philips, Verizon, and a dozen other companies. In addition, you’ll be able to ask questions at any time using the questions area of the course. This is like having a

Who am I? I am a Scrum Alliance Certified Enterprise Coach (CEC). There are about 100 of us in the world. I know that sounds a bit arrogant but I'm one of about 300 Scrum coaches and trainers who can submit people for the Certified Product Owner (CSPO) and Certified Scrum Master (CSM) certifications so I know the material in ways that other instructors do not. I'm the co-author of two books, Why Agile Works and Professional Scrum with Team Foundation Server. Before becoming an agile coach I was VP of Corporate Strategy at Softricity (acquired by Microsoft) and founder of Inquira (acquired by Oracle). I have a PhD in Computer Science from MIT.

I am here to pump you up as you deepen your understanding of Scrum and improve your Scrum Product Owner skills.

The course is designed to be taken over nine weeks. If you follow this plan, you will spend approximately half an hour per day on the course. The first one or two days of every week will focus on videos and during the remainder of the week you will be doing assignments.

Warning: This course is HARD. I like to say, “Practice in proportion to your aspirations.” If you are ready to sweat blood to become a better Scrum Product Owner, I invite you to look at the many videos you can watch for free to see if this course is a good fit for you.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me. I want you to be successful: more influential, confident, and visible.

What's inside

Learning objectives

Execute on a product vision
Run experiments to validate the value of the items in your backlog
Work with the team and stakeholders to create a story map
Develop release plans based on empirical data

Write user stories that really work
Reflect on your own abilities and create an improvement plan
Describe how top companies succeed at product ownership

Execute on a product vision
Run experiments to validate the value of the items in your backlog
Work with the team and stakeholders to create a story map
Develop release plans based on empirical data
Write user stories that really work
Reflect on your own abilities and create an improvement plan
Describe how top companies succeed at product ownership

Syllabus

Check In: Where are you now and where are we going?

Welcome!

Homework

Value

An article by Michael James on the importance of Product Ownership.

Traffic lights

Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Designed for individuals with prior experience or training in Scrum, which allows learners to immediately apply advanced techniques and strategies to their current projects

Includes two one-on-one coaching sessions, which provides personalized guidance and support to address specific challenges and goals in the learner's professional context

Taught by a Scrum Alliance Certified Enterprise Coach (CEC), which ensures learners benefit from expert insights and best practices in Agile methodologies

Requires learners to dedicate approximately half an hour per day over nine weeks, which may be difficult for those with demanding schedules or limited availability

Includes bonus material on using ChatGPT to accelerate product manager work, which introduces learners to cutting-edge AI tools for enhancing productivity

Emphasizes hypothesis-driven development, which ensures learners can validate the value of backlog items and make data-informed decisions

Reviews summary

Deep dive into robust scrum product ownership

According to learners, this course provides a highly practical and in-depth approach to the Product Owner role, going far beyond basic Scrum certification material. Many students found the instructor's extensive real-world experience and passion for agile to be major strengths, making the content relatable and insightful. The course is described as challenging and demanding, requiring significant effort, particularly for the assignments. While some found the difficulty a potential hurdle, many appreciated that it encourages deep learning and application of concepts. The unique inclusion of one-on-one coaching sessions is frequently highlighted as a valuable addition.

Assignments require significant effort but yield results.

"The assignments are definitely challenging but are crucial for solidifying understanding."

"Be prepared to put in the work; the homework isn't easy, but it's worth it."

"I found the assignments time-consuming but essential for applying the concepts."

"This course is HARD, just as advertised, especially the practical exercises."

Emphasizes PO mindset and effective strategies.

"Learned crucial strategies for interacting with teams and stakeholders."

"The focus on the Product Owner mindset resonated deeply with me."

"Gained practical approaches for backlog refinement and prioritization decisions."

Personalized coaching adds significant value.

"The one-on-one coaching sessions were incredibly helpful and personalized."

"Getting direct feedback during the coaching calls was a game-changer for me."

"The coaching is a unique and highly valuable part of the course offering."

Expert instructor with vast real-world experience.

"The instructor's real-world examples and insights are incredibly valuable."

"Michael's passion and extensive background truly shine through the material."

"His experience as a CEC and consultant is evident and brings immense credibility."

"The instructor's teaching style is engaging and makes complex topics clear."

Goes beyond basics, focuses on practical how-to.

"This course is not just about theory; it provides practical tools and strategies I could apply immediately."

"It goes significantly beyond the basic 'what' of Scrum PO and dives deep into the 'how'."

"This course provided me with the specific approaches needed to effectively perform the PO role."

"Focuses on practical application, not just certification definitions."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Robust Scrum Product Owner with these activities:

Review 'User Story Mapping' by Jeff Patton

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Learn user story mapping to improve backlog validation and collaborative story creation.

View User Story Mapping: Discover the Whole Story,... on Amazon

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Read the book's introduction and first three chapters.
Identify key takeaways related to backlog prioritization.
Reflect on how to apply these techniques to your current projects.

Review Agile Manifesto Principles

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Solidify your understanding of the Agile Manifesto principles to better grasp the underlying philosophy of Scrum.

Browse courses on Agile Principles

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Read the Agile Manifesto and its 12 principles.
Reflect on how each principle applies to product ownership.
Identify areas where your current practices align or diverge.

Create a Product Vision Board

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Develop a clear product vision to guide backlog prioritization and stakeholder communication.

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Identify the target audience and their needs.
Define the product's purpose and key features.
Visualize the product's future state and benefits.
Share the vision board with stakeholders for feedback.

Four other activities

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Develop a Release Plan

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Practice release planning to create realistic timelines and manage stakeholder expectations.

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Identify key features for the next release.
Estimate the effort required for each feature.
Prioritize features based on value and risk.
Create a timeline with milestones and dependencies.
Communicate the release plan to the team and stakeholders.

User Story Writing Practice

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Refine your user story writing skills to improve communication and collaboration with the development team.

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Choose a product or feature you are familiar with.
Write user stories using the INVEST principle.
Get feedback from peers on clarity and completeness.
Revise stories based on feedback.

Blog Post: Lessons Learned as a Product Owner

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Reflect on your experiences and share insights to reinforce your learning and contribute to the community.

Show steps

Identify key challenges and successes you've encountered.
Structure your blog post with clear headings and examples.
Share your post on relevant online communities.

Review 'The Lean Startup' by Eric Ries

Show steps

Understand Lean Startup principles to improve your approach to hypothesis-driven development.

View The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs Use... on Amazon

Show steps

Read the book's key chapters on MVP and validated learning.
Identify how Lean Startup principles apply to product ownership.
Reflect on how to incorporate these principles into your workflow.

Career center

Learners who complete Robust Scrum Product Owner will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Product Owner

A Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product. This course helps you 'level up' your Scrum Product Owner skills. It shows you, through detailed examples, exercises, and homework, ‘how’ to be a Scrum Product Owner. This course will help you develop the mindset of successful Scrum Product Owners and how to interact with the Development Team and stakeholders. You will gain an insight into exactly what you are responsible for during the planning, refinement, and review meetings. The spreadsheets and recipes that you will get as part of the course, remove the stress out of being a Scrum Product Owner. If you are a Product Owner, this course is designed specifically for you.

See salaries and explore the career path for Product Owner

Release Manager

The Release Manager is responsible for planning, scheduling, and controlling the software release process. This course can be directly applicable to a Release Manager in an Agile environment, particularly in organizations using Scrum. The course covers topics directly relevant to release planning, such as developing release plans based on empirical data. The course helps the Release Manager understand how to interact effectively with the Product Owner and the development team to ensure smooth and efficient releases. The Release Planning section of the syllabus is extremely helpful to the Release Manager.

See salaries and explore the career path for Release Manager

Product Manager

A Product Manager is responsible for the strategy, roadmap, and feature definition for a product or product line. While this course focuses on the Scrum Product Owner role, the skills and knowledge gained are directly transferable to product management. The course teaches how to make accurate prioritization decisions that maximize value. This is a core competency for any Product Manager. The course also covers interacting with development teams and stakeholders, something that is also highly relevant to the work of a Product Manager. The syllabus's coverage of communicating with User Stories is also great, as it can help the Product Manager learn a new way of working. Overall, a Product Manager who takes this course will gain a deeper understanding of Agile principles and practices.

See salaries and explore the career path for Product Manager

Project Manager

A Project Manager is responsible for planning, executing, and closing projects. The course material is helpful as Agile methodologies are becoming increasingly prevalent in project management. The course covers topics such as backlog refinement, sprint planning, and sprint reviews, all of which are essential components of Agile project management. Project Managers looking to adopt Agile practices will find the course on Scrum Product Ownership very relevant. This course teaches how to interact with the development team and stakeholders. The course helps to visualize your work, something that managers care about. The course may help improve the ability of Project Managers to do their job in an Agile environment.

See salaries and explore the career path for Project Manager

Engineering Manager

An Engineering Manager manages a team of engineers, providing technical guidance and ensuring projects are completed successfully. This course may be helpful as Agile methodologies are becoming increasingly prevalent in project management. Understanding Agile principles can greatly help the Engineering Manager. This course teaches how to interact with the development team and stakeholders. The Agile Transformation section of the syllabus could be valuable for the Engineering Manager. Gaining the perspective of the Product Owner may help the Engineering Manager be a better leader.

See salaries and explore the career path for Engineering Manager

Product Marketing Manager

The Product Marketing Manager is responsible for the marketing of a specific product or product line. This course may be useful to the Product Marketing Manager because it helps to understand the perspective of the product owner. A firm grasp on how to make sure that the items in your backlog are valuable will allow the Product Marketing Manager to better market the product. This course also covers interacting with the development team and stakeholders. The course may help the Product Marketing Manager better understand the Scrum development process.

See salaries and explore the career path for Product Marketing Manager

User Experience Designer

A User Experience Designer focuses on enhancing user satisfaction by improving the usability, accessibility, and desirability of a product. This course could be useful to a User Experience Designer because of the course's focus on how to write User Stories that really work. This skill could allow the User Experience Designer to better advocate for the users when working with the Product Owner. This course also covers how to interact with the Development Team and stakeholders. Understanding the perspectives of the people who build the product and the needs of the stakeholders can help the User Experience Designer come up with a better product design.

See salaries and explore the career path for User Experience Designer

Development Team Lead

The Development Team Lead is responsible for guiding the members of a software development team. This course may be helpful as it shows you how to interact with the development team and stakeholders. Learning about this interaction can greatly help the Development Team Lead. Also, the understanding of how to make sure that the items in your backlog are valuable could be useful to a Development Team Lead. The course helps the Development Team Lead to better understand the role of the Product Owner.

See salaries and explore the career path for Development Team Lead

Agile Coach

An Agile Coach guides organizations and teams in adopting and improving Agile practices. The course's focus on Scrum Product Ownership is highly relevant, as the Product Owner role is central to successful Agile implementation. This course may be helpful for the Agile coach. The course delves into the mindset of successful Scrum Product Owners and offers strategies for effective interaction with development teams and stakeholders. An Agile Coach can leverage this knowledge to better guide teams in understanding and supporting the Product Owner's role. This course also helps build an understanding of hypothesis-driven development which can greatly help an Agile Coach guide the team toward effective experimentation and value validation.

See salaries and explore the career path for Agile Coach

Program Manager

A Program Manager oversees a group of related projects, often with the intention of improving an organization's performance. This course may be helpful as Agile methodologies are becoming increasingly prevalent in project management. The course covers topics such as backlog refinement, sprint planning, and sprint reviews, all of which are essential components of Agile project management. Program Managers looking to adopt Agile practices will find the course on Scrum Product Ownership very relevant. This course teaches how to interact with the development team and stakeholders. This course helps to visualize your work, something that managers care about. The course may help improve the ability of Program Managers to do their job in an Agile environment.

See salaries and explore the career path for Program Manager

Scrum Master

A Scrum Master helps facilitate a Scrum team's progress, removing obstacles, and ensuring adherence to Scrum principles. This course, designed to 'level up' your Scrum Product Owner skills, may very well benefit the Scrum Master as well. The course emphasizes the Product Owner's interactions with the Development Team and stakeholders. Understanding these dynamics from the Product Owner's perspective helps the Scrum Master facilitate smoother collaboration and communication within the team. Furthermore, the course covers backlog refinement, sprint planning, and sprint review. These are all crucial areas where effective communication and a shared understanding of responsibilities between the Product Owner and Scrum Master are essential which this course may help with. A Scrum Master would be well placed to help the Product Owner execute the product vision.

See salaries and explore the career path for Scrum Master

Business Analyst

The Business Analyst identifies the business needs of their clients and stakeholders and helps to determine solutions to business problems. This course may be useful to the Business Analyst. This course focuses on how to make the items in your backlog valuable. The course also covers interacting with the development team and stakeholders. A Business Analyst would benefit from this insight. The syllabus's coverage of communicating with User Stories is also great, as it can help the Business Analyst learn a new way of working. The course could also help improve their ability to deliver in an Agile environment.

See salaries and explore the career path for Business Analyst

Technical Director

The Technical Director is to oversee the technical aspects of an organization. This course may be useful as Agile methodologies are becoming increasingly prevalent in project management. The course teaches how to interact with the development team and stakeholders and how to visualize your work. The Agile Transformation section of the syllabus could be valuable for the Technical Director. The Technical Director can learn how to better manage the technical aspects of their organization.

See salaries and explore the career path for Technical Director

Chief Technology Officer

A Chief Technology Officer is an executive responsible for overseeing all technical aspects of a company. This course may be useful as Agile methodologies are becoming increasingly prevalent in project management. Understanding Agile principles can greatly help the Chief Technology Officer. This course teaches how to interact with the development team and stakeholders and how to visualize your work. The Agile Transformation section of the syllabus could be valuable for the Chief Technology Officer.

See salaries and explore the career path for Chief Technology Officer

Software Architect

The Software Architect is responsible for making high-level design choices and dictating technical standards. This course may be helpful as Agile methodologies are becoming increasingly prevalent in project management. Understanding Agile principles can greatly help the Software Architect. A key part of helping the team is understanding the principles of backlog management. This course teaches how to interact with the development team and stakeholders. The Agile Transformation section of the syllabus could be valuable for the Software Architect.

See salaries and explore the career path for Software Architect

Robust Scrum Product Owner

What's inside

Learning objectives

Syllabus

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Reviews summary

Deep dive into robust scrum product ownership

Activities

Career center

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