Answering: “You are a Product Owner for a product with a rapidly declining customer base. One very influential stakeholder emphasizes the need to add more features to the product – to focus on capturing new customers.”

The Product Owner can acknowledge the stakeholder’s view while declining to add features, or work with the stakeholder on a small experiment to test the idea. Voting and simply giving in both skip the evidence.

Exam Question

You are a Product Owner for a product with a rapidly declining customer base. One very influential stakeholder emphasizes the need to add more features to the product – to focus on capturing new customers.
Despite initial data that indicates the decline is due to a shrinking market opportunity, rather than a lack of new features, an influential stakeholder insists on adding more features to attract new customers. The influential stakeholder also says that if you do not add new features you risk losing your most profitable customer.
Which two of the following actions might you take?
(choose the best two answers)
A. Acknowledge the views of the influential stakeholder but decline to add more features to the the product.
B. Collaborate with other stakeholders and use a voting system to decide which options should be considered.
C. Agree with the stakeholder and add features to the Product Backlog as it might increase your customer base.
D. Collaborate with the stakeholder to run a small experiment to validate their opinion.

Correct Answer

A and D.

Why This Is the Correct Answer

The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing value and must make decisions based on evidence. The Scrum Guide says those who want to change the Product Backlog do so by trying to convince the Product Owner, and that the organization must respect the Product Owner’s decisions. Here, initial data points to a shrinking market, not missing features. Acknowledging the stakeholder respects their concern, and declining keeps the backlog focused on what the data shows (A). A small experiment (D) tests the stakeholder’s hypothesis at low cost and replaces opinion with evidence. Either way, the decision rests on data rather than on who is most influential.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

B. Use a voting system with other stakeholders. Voting replaces evidence with popularity and dilutes the Product Owner’s accountability.

C. Agree and add features because they might grow the customer base. This ignores the data suggesting features are not the problem. Influence alone should not drive the Product Backlog.

Exam Tip

When a powerful stakeholder pushes an idea against the data, look for answers that respect them and test the idea with evidence. Deferring to rank or voting is usually wrong.

Key Takeaways

• Product decisions should rest on evidence, not influence.
• Small experiments turn opinions into data.
• The Product Owner can say no respectfully.