Make use of the Scrum framework

The Scrum framework takes the Manifesto for Agile Software Development and interprets it as a framework for developing, delivering, and sustaining complex products. Scrum was published in 2002 by some of the authors of the Manifesto for Agile Software Development. The Scrum Guide is published online.

The Scrum framework is helpful for Trainee/Associate Product Managers because it:

• is lightweight and easy to understand
• requires a Product Manager to be a key member of a Scrum team (it calls this person a ‘Product Owner’)
• explains the point of a Product Owner, and how the Product Owner works with the teams though artifacts (like the backlog) and ceremonies (like review).

Here are some key sections of the Scrum Guide for product managers:

• The Product Owner
• The Sprint
• Sprint Planning
• Daily Scrum
• Sprint Review
• Sprint Retrospective
• Product Backlog
• Sprint Backlog
• Increment
• Definition of Done.

There is a lot written about Scrum.

Reading:

Roman Pichler has written particularly extensively on Scrum, examples include:

• What’s the difference between a product manager and a product owner?
• Sprint review tips for product owners
• Agile Product Management with Scrum

Also:

• Product Owner Anti-Patterns, Stefan Wolpers

Training:

• Working level for product managers, GDS Academy: 3-day course that shares some of the core Scrum concepts, contextualised for government
• Certified Scrum Product Owner course, Roman Pichler: 2-day course on Scrum Product Ownership that leads to a professional certificate in Scrum Product Ownership from the Scrum Alliance
• Smart Scrum Product Ownership, Jeff Patton and Jeff Gothelf: 2-day course that leads to a professional certificate in Scrum Product Ownership from the Scrum Alliance but takes a more flexible approach to Scrum.