Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile storytelling from the trenches

Beyond the Backlog—How Great Product Owners Embrace Team Collaboration | Carmen Jurado

May 2, 2025

Carmen Jurado, an Agile coach and business agility trainer involved with Women in Agile, discusses the vital role of collaboration for Product Owners. She emphasizes that the best Product Owners stand shoulder to shoulder with their teams, recognizing joint achievements. Carmen also highlights the pitfalls of inexperienced Product Owners who try to do everything alone, leading to disengaged teams and overwhelming backlogs. She advocates for vulnerability and stakeholder mapping as essential strategies for fostering teamwork and successfully managing challenges.

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ANECDOTE

Novice PO's Overwhelming Struggle

A novice Product Owner handled everything alone due to disengaged team and backlog chaos.
Together with Carmen Jurado, they cleaned the backlog and involved the team gradually in Scrum events.

ADVICE

Organize Backlog and Stakeholders

Use stakeholder mapping to reposition powerful but overly involved stakeholders effectively.
Introduce prioritized backlogs and idea tanks to organize work and reduce overwhelm.

ADVICE

Involve Team to Share Ownership

Involve the team by rotating responsibilities during Scrum events to increase ownership.
Discuss changes openly with the team to gain cooperation despite initial resistance.

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Carmen Jurado: Beyond the Backlog—How Great Product Owners Embrace Team Collaboration The Great Product Owner: Standing with the Team

Carmen shares that the best Product Owners she's encountered are those who stand with their teams. Drawing from her own recent experience as a Product Owner, she emphasizes the importance of being there for your team, recognizing that they make you look good. Great Product Owners understand that achievements are team efforts, not individual accomplishments. Carmen also highlights that exemplary Product Owners have a deep understanding of the goals, values, and principles of Agile methodologies, allowing them to better support their teams and leverage agile practices effectively.

In this segment we refer to the book Generative AI in a Nutshell.

The Bad Product Owner: The Novice Who Does Everything

Carmen describes a common anti-pattern she encountered: the inexperienced Product Owner who attempts to handle everything independently. This particular PO was preparing reviews and planning sessions alone, feeling that these events wouldn't happen otherwise. The team wasn't engaged, and the backlog had ballooned to over 300 items. Carmen helped this PO sort through the backlog to start with a clean slate and conducted a stakeholder mapping session to manage difficult stakeholders, particularly a CFO who was treating the PO as merely a scribe. They also worked to involve the team in Scrum events, reducing the burden on the PO. Carmen emphasizes the importance of keeping the team updated on process changes and the value of having a PO who can openly discuss their challenges.

Self-reflection Question: As a Scrum Master, how can you help both experienced and novice Product Owners find the right balance between taking ownership and enabling team participation?

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About Carmen Jurado

Carmen describes herself as an "agile storyteller" and has spoken at multiple agile conferences, covering topics such as psychological safety and imposter syndrome. Known for her enthusiasm and creativity, Carmen enjoys designing her own gamified retrospectives. She is an agile coach and business agility trainer, and is also active in the non-profit organization Women in Agile.

You can link with Carmen on LinkedIn.