Re: How to handle pressure fron product owners

Hi

 

Some questions and possible answers:

 

1.       How long are your Sprint? If more than 4 weeks, then this may be
the problem with the PO needing to ask for changes.  Try 2 weeks; that is
optimum.

2.       Does your Dev Team have an agreed Sprint Goal with the Product
Owner? If not, you are a hostage to fortune!!

3.       Can the Sprint Goal still be achieved by making the changes that
the PO wants? If not, only one answer - stop the Sprint and plan a new
Sprint

4.       Do you hold a retrospective at the end of each Sprint?  One of the
questions if the PO has asked to make changes is "why did the PO not realise
that the stories at the start of the Sprint were no good?".  

5.       Does your PO attend the Sprint Planning? If not - shoot him or
her!!!!!

 

The Dev Team should never be forced to accept new stories that have not been
estimated.

The Dev Team should never be forced to make any changes to the Sprint after
the agreed Sprint Planning.

 

If the PO insists on changes, this is Command and Control and not the Agile
way!  The PO needs educating or get a new PO that knows what he/she is
doing!!

 

Hope that helps

 

 

Steve Ash