Product Ownership
Being handed a backlog isn't the same as owning a product. Effective product owners make deliberate trade-offs between competing stakeholder demands, protect the team from scope churn, and can explain why the backlog is ordered the way it is — every time, not just when challenged.
This course builds the practical skills behind that role: writing user stories and acceptance criteria the team can actually build from, prioritising a backlog using more than gut feel, and managing stakeholders who each believe their request is the most urgent one. Participants also work on saying no well — a skill that matters as much to product ownership as saying yes.
Course duration & format
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Duration:
2 days (f2f) / 4 half days live online sessions
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Format:
Instructor-led, face to face (or interactive online), working with a live or simulated backlog throughout
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Optimum class size:
12 to 20 participants
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Entry requirements:
None, though basic familiarity with Scrum or Agile is helpful
Learning outcomes
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Write user stories and acceptance criteria a team can build from
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Prioritise a backlog using structured techniques, not just instinct
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Manage competing stakeholder demands with a clear, defensible rationale
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Protect the team from scope churn mid-sprint
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Say no to a stakeholder request without damaging the relationship
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Run an effective backlog refinement session
Owning a backlog means you can explain why it's ordered that way — every time, not just when someone challenges it.
Intended audience
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New and aspiring product owners
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Business analysts moving into a product role
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Project managers transitioning to product ownership
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Stakeholders who want to understand how good backlogs are actually managed