PO at retro

I'm having the "should the Product Owner be at the retrospective"
conversation again.  While, years ago, the Product Owner was optional in
this meeting, a fair amount of learning has happened since then and a range
of resources has come out advocating that the PO be present-not optional.
The current edition of the Scrum Guide doesn't help much here by referring
only to the "Scrum Team" in the section on the retro, but, then again, maybe
that's intentional, and the Ken and Jeff now believe, based on feedback and
experiments, that the PO should be present at the retro as a matter of
course. 

 

In a situation where the relationship is not good between the PO and the
Development Team of the PO and the SM, I'm wondering about the quality of a
retro where the PO is not optional, but a required attendee.  The guidance I
typically give is that the purpose of the review is to inspect the increment
and the purpose of the retro is for the team to inspect their work
processes.  The most intimates changes are often within the team, and those
conversations require privacy and confidentiality to those present unless
those present determine otherwise.  Therefore, I still am reasoning that the
PO is optional and included with the agreement of the Development Team.

 

Thoughts?  References?

 

--- Jean

 

 







Jean Richardson

Azure Gate Consulting

~ Repatterning the Human Experience of Work

 

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