The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product and managing the Product Backlog. The Sprint Review is a key inspection and adaptation event. The correct action is to engage stakeholders directly, understand the root of the misalignment, and use that empirical feedback to inform potential changes to the Product Backlog, not to make excuses or act unilaterally without discussion.

The Product Owner is the sole person responsible for the Product Backlog, but they do not work in a vacuum. Great ideas can come from anywhere, including the Development Team. The professional approach is to engage with the team, evaluate the idea collaboratively in the context of the overall product vision and goals, and then make a transparent decision about if and where it belongs in the Product Backlog.

The Product Backlog is an ordered list of what is needed to improve the product. The order represents the Product Owner’s best judgment of the sequence in which items should be developed to deliver the maximum possible value toward the Product Goal. It is the primary tool for the Product Owner to direct the Development Team’s work.

Scrum does not prohibit making forecasts or commitments to stakeholders. The Product Owner is responsible for stakeholder management. The professional approach is to use empirical data (like velocity, Product Backlog refinement, and progress toward the Product Goal) to create a realistic forecast. This forecast is transparently shared as a plan, not a rigid promise, acknowledging that it will be updated as more is learned.

The Product Goal describes a future state of the product which can serve as a target for the Scrum Team to plan against. The Product Backlog is the single source of work undertaken by the Scrum Team. It emerges to define “how” to achieve the Product Goal (the “what” and “why”). All items on the Product Backlog should contribute to this goal.

Only the Product Owner has the authority to cancel a Sprint. A critical, production-blocking issue like a security vulnerability is a valid cause for cancellation, as it fundamentally changes the landscape and makes the current Sprint Goal obsolete. The proper approach is to collaborate with the Development Team to understand the severity, and if warranted, cancel the Sprint and immediately re-plan to address the highest-priority need.

This is a fundamental concept. “Ready” (often defined by team-specific “Definition of Ready”) refers to the entry criteria for a Product Backlog item to be considered for a Sprint. It ensures clarity and has been refined. “Done” (defined by the “Definition of Done”) refers to the exit criteria for an Increment, ensuring a consistent level of quality and completeness. An item moves from “Ready” to “Done” during a Sprint.

A core responsibility of the Product Owner is managing stakeholders and being the primary point of contact for the Development Team on business and requirement matters. The correct action is to protect the team’s focus by channeling all product feedback and requests through the Product Owner. This allows the Product Owner to evaluate, prioritize, and incorporate requests into the Product Backlog transparently, rather than allowing disruptive ad-hoc work.

The purpose of refinement and decomposition is to create Product Backlog items that are granular enough to be selected into a Sprint and, when completed, result in a “Done” Increment that delivers a piece of valuable functionality. The focus is on delivering value incrementally, not on arbitrary size limits, technical layers, or individual assignments.

The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product and managing the Product Backlog. The Sprint Review is a key inspection and adaptation event. The correct action is to engage stakeholders directly, understand the root of the misalignment, and use that empirical feedback to inform potential changes to the Product Backlog, not to make excuses or act unilaterally without discussion.0