Gosia Smoleńska: Growing Trust As A Product Owner, A PO Superpower

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The Great Product Owner: The Trust-Building Product Owner

Gosia illustrates the characteristics of an exemplary Product Owner. These individuals build trust with their teams, challenge ideas respectfully, and maintain transparency about their concerns. Great POs actively seek feedback, clearly communicate the customer’s voice, and leverage tools like Jobs To Be Done to align features with the company’s strategy. Inviting customers to share their experiences with the team ensures that development stays user-focused and relevant.

The Bad Product Owner: The Anti-Pattern of Control In The PO Role

In contrast, Gosia describes a Product Owner who undermined team trust by changing estimation figures without the team’s knowledge. During a meeting focused on affinity estimation for an upcoming release, the PO erased the team’s work and provided altered estimates to the business. This action broke trust and disenfranchised the team, showcasing an anti-pattern where the PO assumes control rather than fostering team ownership. Such behavior can lead to decreased morale and a lack of transparency.

Self-reflection Question: How do you ensure your actions as a Product Owner build trust and foster collaboration within your team?

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About Gosia Smoleńska Gosia has worked in IT since 2013, starting as a manual tester and moving into QA, project management, and scrum mastery. Her passion lies in sharing agile knowledge and supporting start-ups in building strong, agile cultures. She is experienced in Scrum, Kanban, NEXUS, and Lean, and is a certified Professional Kanban Trainer.

You can link with Gosia Smoleńska on LinkedIn.