Answering: “Which statement best describes a Product Owner’s responsibility?” (PSM I)

The Product Owner’s responsibility is maximizing the value of the work the Scrum Team does. Directing Developers, managing a project or keeping stakeholders happy are not the core of the accountability.

Exam Question

Which statement best describes a Product Owner’s responsibility?
(choose the best answer)
A. Maximizing the value of the work the Scrum Team does.
B. Directing the Developers.
C. Managing the project and ensuring that the work meets the commitments to the stakeholders.
D. Keeping stakeholders informed and happy.
E. Helping the Scrum Team to improve their ability to deliver.

Correct Answer

A. Maximizing the value of the work the Scrum Team does.

Why This Is the Correct Answer

The Scrum Guide states “The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team.” Among the Product Owner’s activities, the Guide lists optimizing the value of the work the Scrum Team does by ordering the Product Backlog. The Product Owner decides what to build next, based on value, and makes those decisions visible. Keeping stakeholders informed is part of good product ownership, but pleasing them is not the goal. Value sometimes means saying no to stakeholders.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

B. Directing the Developers. The Developers are self-managing. The Product Owner influences what they build, not how they work.

C. Managing the project and meeting commitments. This describes traditional project management. Scrum focuses on value and adapts plans as it learns.

D. Keeping stakeholders informed and happy. Stakeholder satisfaction can conflict with value. The Product Owner must sometimes make unpopular decisions.

E. Helping the team improve its ability to deliver. This describes the Scrum Master, who is accountable for the Scrum Team’s effectiveness.

Exam Tip

When an option describes the Scrum Master’s job, eliminate it in Product Owner questions. Scrum.org often uses one accountability’s duties as distractors for another.

Key Takeaways

• The Product Owner maximizes value.
• Keeping stakeholders happy is not the goal itself.
• Improving the team’s delivery is the Scrum Master’s focus.