Why do you want a career as a product owner?

"Over the last eight years of my career, I've played an integral role as part of a development team on a Scrum team with my current organization. In this work, I've done the groundwork in Scrum sprints and have always been proactive in mapping out goals and achieving them. In recent years, I've been more involved in overall goal setting and have received many accolades for my work here. My current Scrum Master on my team has witnessed this excellent vision and was actually the person to mentor me for a future role as a product owner. I feel it is a great move for me to put my managerial and visionary skills to work."

As Scrum processes have developed and become more popular in recent years, more and more companies are hiring product owners to oversee and manage all processes. Successful product owners can come from many backgrounds and industries and if you are one of these candidates, your interviewer will want you to talk about why this is the best career move for you. This will allow them to hear the passion you have for the role for your long-term success in it. As you answer, use your background and your interests to say why you are so interested in this career move.

Why should we hire you?

"When this position was brought to my attention, it immediately jumped out to me as being a great match for my skills and a place where I can continue to grow for the rest of my career. From a skill standpoint, I'm confident that my work in the past in creating new business strategies and analyzing market data sets me apart for this position. If your company wants to break through to new markets and do so in a very profitable way, I can help make that a reality. On top of these skills, I've learned today that this organization has a strong mission that I believe in. It's honestly a mission that I'd love to be a part of now and into the future."

Throughout your interview for a product owner position, the interview team will do a very thorough job of assessing your skills and abilities in developing product goals, managing large-scale projects, and optimizing the product backlog. With this question, they give you one last chance to give your overall best sales pitch on why you are the best candidate for the job. It's a good idea to practice your short but sweet elevator pitch so you can come prepared to deliver it in a way that is passionate and memorable to your interview team. The main things to focus your answer on are the skills you bring to the table, your work ethic, your long-term commitment to the organization, and the personal satisfaction you will get from the role.

Describe a time you helped your stakeholders or business partner understand a technical need.

I worked on a solution that tracked the money and time spent on various work tasks for my business partners. They needed a new report for analytical purposes and asked me to move the related stories to the top of the backlog. The development team informed me that the technology we had been using for reports was obsolete and that we needed to find a new solution and test it with one of the current reports before developing something new. My stakeholders were unhappy with this plan, but I explained why it made sense to experiment with the smallest scope possible. I explained that replicating an existing report would serve as a proof of concept that could be easily and quickly tested because we already had the basic design and data queries. We agreed to test the new tool with an existing report and develop their specific requirements for the new report while they waited. I also worked with them to run database queries as a stop-gap until their report could be developed. This process gave the development team time to address issues that came up while learning the new tool, and the development of the new report went smoothly.

Product Owners are responsible for setting the priority of the product backlog. This includes weighing the needs of important stakeholder requests against technical priorities. Interviewers ask this question to determine how a candidate might interact with future stakeholders to show them the value of investing in technical requirements.

Interviewers want to be sure a candidate can coach their clients and assist them in making educated prioritization decisions. Remember to include any supporting detail you offered to outline the value of addressing the technical need when walking your interviewer through the points you made in the scenario described.

"In a database consolidation project for __________, I convinced a physical security stakeholder to sign off by explaining how the technical change of unification of databases would help to manage the IT systems better and reduce costs. IT would also benefit employees to not request temporary access to other office locations and still stay compliant and secure."

How do you know when you have experienced success as a product owner?

I am successful as a Product Owner if my team delivers a product that adds business value and directly addresses the needs and goals of the business we serve. I should be able to prove with metrics that revenue was generated, operational efficiencies were made, or customer satisfaction was improved.I also see my work as successful when I help my business stakeholders understand their options and the effects of their business decisions from a technology perspective. Likewise, I am successful when I can help the development team understand more about the businesses and users they serve and how the solutions they develop align with the needs of the business to generate value. I know this has happened when either side begins to demonstrate more inclusive language and performance gains such as increased velocity occur.

Interviewers ask this question to learn how a candidate would assess the success of their work as a product owner. Companies are interested in hiring candidates who focus on adding value to the customers they serve as well as continual improvement of the Scrum process.

Remember to go beyond success measures that are not easily quantified, such as 'I am successful when my customer is happy.' Many of the contributions a product owner makes should align directly with business goals that are clearly defined and measurable.

What types of behavioral patterns can a product owner display that add value to their Scrum projects?

I think it is helpful for Product Owners to have the ability to set their opinions and assumptions aside and keep an open mind. Product Owners need to listen neutrally to their customers and the members of their Scrum teams. Product Owners have to facilitate conversations often, and the ability to think from various perspectives to formulate a strategy that serves everyone adds value.Also, I think Product Owners need to be able to think and execute at multiple levels seamlessly. They are often required to ensure the big picture comes together while simultaneously diving into the details. Product Owners may be prepping for release planning, sprint planning, and dealing with the current sprint all in the same week at times. Solid Product Owners demonstrate the time management skills, flexibility, and agility necessary to juggle all of these perspectives.Finally, I think Product Owners are good storytellers and coaches. They often serve as a bridge between worlds and need to communicate the needs of various groups in such a way to gain buy-in and inspire quick and effective action. Enjoying people, listening to their stories, and working as a servant leader are all helpful behaviors.

Interviewers ask this question to learn a candidate's opinion on the traits necessary for success as a product owner. This information helps an interviewer get a sense of the benefits a candidate might offer their Scrum teams.

Remember to focus your response on major skill areas that all product owners are expected to possess. For example, a successful response to this question could discuss a product owner's patterns of communication, leadership, and analysis.

How do you facilitate the story estimation process?

During story estimation meetings, I walk my teams through the details of the user stories we need to estimate. I explain how the business intends to use the requested functionality, the value they expect to receive from it, and the priority of the stories. The development team asks questions and weighs in on the scope. We break stories down, add spikes, and adjust assumptions or acceptance criteria as needed.After that, we give estimates for the stories. I have worked with story points and t-shirt sizing methods. Either way works, as long as everyone understands we are using a relative sizing technique and they have enough experience to relate the story to something similar from the past. Each person gives an estimate, and we discuss why we voted the way we did if disagreements arise. In the event we still disagree, we typically yield to the person who has the most stake in the game for the selected story. I sometimes ask our Scrum Master for advice when a team is facing a new challenge or there is a serious disagreement that could benefit from an additional perspective.

Story estimation is a key backlog management activity that affects several downstream processes. Product Owners play a significant role in this collaborative team process. Interviewers want to ensure the candidate understands how to facilitate the creation of reliable and efficient estimates for the products they are responsible for.

Remember that it is common practice within many teams for the Scrum Master or project manager to lead the story estimation process. While that may be true for your organization, it is best to describe your ability to lead this style of meeting while participating and collaborating with other leaders to resolve conflicts at the same time.

"With our teams, we use Story Points as a unit of estimation, and Planning Poker as a technique to provide estimations. I've prepared a board with previous estimations and several examples for each amount of Story Points so that estimations are consistent and the team's velocity can be used to estimate epics."

What are your weaknesses?

I feel I could improve upon my data analytics skills. I am very comfortable working with the tools used in my current role, but there are a number of powerful business intelligence tools I would like to work more with in the future. I have used Tableau and Microstrategy, but I know there are features I am not yet an expert on. I like to encourage my teams to use a data-supported approach when making decisions, and the process is more valuable when you have the system experience necessary to find the right information at the right time.I am currently researching Power BI and I plan to learn about several additional tools over the coming months. Do your teams leverage any specific analytic software?

In managing the success of a project in Scrum, product owners are responsible for a wide variety of duties. Companies hiring product owners consider candidates from several different backgrounds, including project management, project development, engineering or computer science. They are aware that any candidate they consider will come with their own unique set of weaknesses and they want to hear that you are aware of yours. As you answer, make sure to spell out a plan for how you will attack your weaknesses if you emerge as the top candidate and are offered the job.

One of my weaknesses is that I have limited experience working with Jira. I am comfortable using other backlog management tools, but I know Jira is the main software used by the teams here. I have recently watched several helpful instructional videos. Many of the backlog management features are similar to what I am used to. While it might take a bit of time to get started, I feel confident I will be able to quickly bridge this gap in my knowledge with minimal impact operationally.

One of my professional weaknesses is giving administrative tasks the time they deserve. I tend to dive into working with my clients and teams to design and deliver important product functions without saving time for timesheets and organizational tasks. I have been working on this issue for the last year or so and I have made a lot of progress. I developed a list of user stories to improve my workflows and I am incrementally making changes. I feel much more organized and it has been helpful to take care of administrative tasks as I go.

"I think my first obvious weakness is unfamiliarity with the executive team and key stakeholders that I would be working alongside and supporting in this role. Upon hire, one of my first goals would be to set up one-on-one meetings with all key staff and stakeholders that I would be working with to ensure that a trusting relationship was established and initial goal setting takes place. The second biggest hurdle I know I would have to overcome is familiarizing myself with the business process in the public sector of this state. With my experience being in software development and manufacturing, becoming a new student of this industry is something I greatly look forward to."

What are some of the things you do when you encounter difficult stakeholders?

"When I encounter a difficult stakeholder, the first thing I do is keep an open mind and listen. Maintaining an open and interested attitude helps my stakeholders comfortably share more about whatever is impeding our ability to work together effectively. For stakeholders who are fearful of change or technology, I work with them to help them understand the value they will gain through the development process and educate them as appropriate. For stakeholders that change their minds frequently, I help them see the impact of constant change and the value of better planning. For unresponsive stakeholders, I ask them what I can do to best support them while we work together. Regardless of the issue, there is always a way forward. Some resolutions require more effort than others, but maintaining a positive attitude in the face of difficulty helps me succeed in these situations."

All product owners work with difficult stakeholders from time to time. Interviewers ask this question to ensure the product owner they hire for the open position has a solid strategy for partnering with stakeholders they perceive as difficult.

Remember to keep your answer to this question strictly professional and generic. Interviewers may not appreciate candidates discussing specific and personal scenarios they experienced with a previous stakeholder.

"I will try to understand stakeholder's points of view, expectations, and concerns about the project or particular improvement using active listening. If some of the stakeholders' expectations are not fulfilled, I will describe why this happened, take action to avoid this and establish open communication channels. I will tailor my communication style according to stakeholder's level of knowledge and interests, to avoid communication issues and maintain a positive attitude.Also I will discuss our goals and find the common ground. In case those techniques won't give results, I will highlight it to my supervisor and escalate this situation, to keep moving forward with project goals"

"I would engage with difficult stakeholders through active listening. I would do my homework meticulously before I go into meetings with them. Set up frequent sessions with them to make them understand our goals and expectations and the value generated to onboard them with us by also carefully understanding their hurdles and expectations to arrive at a middle ground."

What experience do you have presenting information to senior management and/or executives?

In my last Product Owner role, I was responsible for developing and maintaining product roadmaps. I regularly presented these to senior executives who were responsible for budget approval. During these meetings, I communicated the vision for the product, the investment needs, and the projected ROI information. I appreciated the direct communication style of the executives I worked with. I learned to customize my presentation style to match their individual preferences. I found that these presentations were a perfect time to gather information on changes in business direction and ask for the support our team needed.

Many companies rely on Product Owners to work directly with senior stakeholders. Interviewers want to ensure that candidates can present the right level of detail in a way that is easily understood by this important audience.

Remember to indicate your awareness that senior-level presentations should be customized for the audience. Executive-level presentations require confidence, humility, and an approach aligned with the specific needs of the audience involved.

What are the main communication responsibilities of a product owner?

"Product owners often manage the communication between stakeholders, engineering teams, users, and other departments necessary for product development, release, support, and maintenance. They develop roadmaps and ensure that user priorities are properly gathered and represented in backlog format. They communicate changes in priority and constantly gather feedback to ensure the right items are being developed at the right time. I also understand that if I were hired for this role, I would be responsible for end-user training and the communication plan to end-users for each release."

Well-developed communication skills are integral to success in the product owner role. Interviewers ask this question to ensure that a candidate clearly understands their audience and the communication-related duties of the product owner role.

Remember to review the job description for any communication-specific duties before your interview. A product owner's communication responsibilities can vary depending on the product, team, and company. Offering a custom response in alignment with the job description will demonstrate you are well-prepared and understand the responsibilities of the role.

How do you communicate business need to the development team?

I use several techniques to communicate business goals and needs to my teams depending on the need and the learning style of the individuals involved. I have documented workflows and walked teams through the current state of business processes to help them understand the efficiencies we aim to create. I sometimes lean on metaphors and figurative language to help them better understand the effect of certain user stories on the business. I have posted the business goals of the users in team rooms or virtually to keep them fresh in our minds as we work. I have also developed personas, orchestrated shadowing opportunities, taken developers to customer meetings, and facilitated 'ask the customer' lunches to help them get to know their users and develop relationships with them.

The Scrum process is heavily concerned with delivering functionality that is aligned with business need and priority. Interviewers ask this question to ensure the Product Owner they hire is prepared to assist the development team in understanding how to best deliver quality solutions on behalf of the customers they serve.

Remember to include a variety of strategies within your response. The principles of Scrum and agile methodologies value collaboration over documentation. Interviewers expect conversational approaches to be included in a candidate's response.

What is the difference between a sprint backlog and a product backlog?

A product backlog is a prioritized list of user stories that represent the needs of the business. Depending on the team, it may also include technical or maintenance needs. The product backlog contains basic story detail, acceptance criteria, and estimates. The Product Owner typically authors and maintains the product backlog, and it may be reviewed frequently with customers and the Scrum team to ensure proper prioritization. A sprint backlog is created for each sprint, and it represents the tasks or work necessary to develop the user stories in scope for a particular sprint. The sprint backlog contains basic task detail, estimates, and status information. It is owned and updated by the team during each sprint.Product backlogs are lists of work for consideration, and sprint backlogs are lists of work in progress. Many companies use software to manage both backlogs within the same tool.

Product Owners should have experience working with all of the main artifacts of Scrum. Interviewers ask this question to test your basic knowledge of two of the main artifacts and how they differ.

Remember to limit your response to product or sprint backlog attributes that are customarily tracked within these artifacts. While some teams choose to track additional data because they find it valuable, not all Scrum teams allow for this type of process deviation. Additionally, you do not have to list the detailed differences in the data points that are tracked within the backlogs. Your interviewers are focused on whether or not you understand the differences in the purposes of the backlogs and when they are used in the Scrum process.

What is your method for gathering business knowledge in areas where you are not a subject matter expert?

I use several methods to gather business knowledge. I typically start by meeting with the management of the business I will be working with. I ask for a high-level overview and gain permission to meet with their staff as needed. I review any available documentation, and I gain access to the relevant systems they currently use so that I can review them. I also shadow end-users in the roles the product I am responsible for will serve. I think it is imperative to understand their perspective so I can help design solutions that will be the best fit for their needs and working style. All of these methods work to establish strong working relationships and trust with the stakeholders that can be leveraged on an ongoing basis as new business knowledge needs arise.

Some Product Owners are assigned to work on Scrum teams that serve lines of business they are not an expert in. In these cases, Product Owners are expected to quickly learn the basic operations of their customers. Interviewers ask this question to ensure a candidate has a strategy for obtaining this information.

Remember to include methods beyond asking your customers directly for the knowledge you seek. Product Owners should be able to dig in and analyze the workflows and artifacts of a business quickly with limited supervision and use this knowledge to develop an effective backlog. Demonstrating your ability to leverage multiple options will help to convince your interviewer you will be able to come up to speed quickly if offered the open position.

What are the basic components of a product roadmap?

"A product roadmap is a visual representation of the phases of product initiation, development, release, support, and maintenance. It communicates the major activities, the groups responsible for them, milestones, and associated status information. In some cases, product managers, program managers, or product owners include budgetary and risk information."

Product roadmaps are visual representations of the strategic planning for a product's development, marketing, release, support, and maintenance. Not all product owners are responsible for the creation and ownership of product roadmaps, but they should be able to understand them and contribute to them as necessary. Interviewers ask this question to test a candidate's knowledge of this basic product development communication and planning artifact.

Remember to keep your answer simple and representative of the information contained within most product roadmaps. Some product managers and owners leverage roadmap documents to communicate extra information, but including those details within your answer may confuse the interviewer. For example, a product manager may elect to include goal statements or information regarding specific KPIs, such as user count increases, but this information is not typically found within product roadmaps.

What metrics or KPIs do you feel are important for a product owner to track?

I am interested in the velocity of the team and how well we are tracking towards a minimally viable product release or a release plan milestone. I sometimes track the difference between the estimation for a story and the actual level of effort required to deliver it. I use this information to plan and identify trends for discussion in sprint retrospective meetings. At the product level, I ensure we have metrics to track the health of the product. This may include tracking active user counts, query counts, page views, product downtime, user errors, integration failures, etc. I use metrics to understand usage and growth over time and identify technical issues the team needs to address. Additionally, I look at end-user support metrics to ensure that issues are resolved appropriately. On the business side, I develop KPIs that indicate how well the solutions are developed to meet the specific goals of the business. This might include tracking metrics like marketing campaign success rate, changes in revenue, a reduction in time spent on a particular operating task, or an improvement in data accuracy. I also do market trend analysis to ensure that the goals we select will drive the kinds of results my clients are interested in.

Product owners are concerned with various areas of metrics that concern their product, their team, and their business. Interviewers ask this question to determine if you understand the basic scope of metrics that are important to your work as a product owner.

Remember to focus your response on the basic metrics your interviewer is likely to be familiar with. This question is intended to test your knowledge of tracking the health of a product, the impact a product has on high-level business goals, and the performance of a Scrum team over time. Discussion of metrics that are overly specific to a particular team or line of business may confuse your interviewer.

What is user story mapping, and what value does it create for the business clients of a project?

User story mapping is a process of creating a visual map of the stories for a product and how they could be incrementally developed to add value over the course of a project. Story mapping sessions are typically facilitated by Product Owners or Scrum Masters and include the development team and key stakeholders. The result is a big-picture representation of how all of the pieces of a product will come together and add value over time. User story mapping is helpful because it fosters alignment between the customers and the Scrum team. It shows everyone how the product will come together and allows the group to discuss the available options around to develop the best possible value stream. Once created, the user story map can be used to socialize the plan and gain buy-in from user groups and management.

User story mapping is a powerful planning tool that many Scrum teams rely on to develop a big-picture strategy for their products. Interviewers ask this question to determine if a candidate has experience facilitating or participating in these important sessions.

Remember to convey your understanding that story mapping is a team effort. The Product Owner is a key participant, but story mapping is highly collaborative, and ownership is shared across the Scrum team and their business partners.

Imagine that you are a product owner for an eCommerce website. Can you give me an example backlog item for a shopping cart?

"A backlog item for an eCommerce website shopping cart would be a user story to allow the user to use a gift card as a form of payment."

The creation and management of product backlog items is a primary job responsibility of the product owner role. Interviewers ask this question to ensure the candidate they select understands the concept of a product backlog item.

Remember to keep your answer simple and focused on a user-centric backlog item. The interviewer asks this question to test your knowledge of a basic product owner concept. Offering a technical example may not be as impactful as proving your ability to author backlog items that demonstrate the user's perspective.

What are the components of a good user story?

A good user story should communicate who the story is intended to serve, the functionality to be built, and the business value the story should generate. The statements should be as concise as possible and should resonate with the customers they are written to serve as well as the development team. I also capture information regarding related epics, the priority, the requester, the date the story was requested, scope notes, and the known acceptance criteria. The goal is to document only what is necessary to move the story forward and not to waste time on unnecessary detail or specifications that would limit the creativity of the development team.

Product Owners are the primary authors of Scrum user stories. Interviewers ask this question to test a candidate's knowledge of the information that should be included in a quality user story.

Remember to align your response with classic Scrum principles or Agile basics. For example, an interviewer may be confused by a candidate who stated that a user story should contain a complete set of business and technical specifications before it can be developed.

What are the main responsibilities of the product owner role on a Scrum team?

Product Owners define the vision of a product from the perspective of the client and the users that the solution will ultimately serve. Product Owners are members of Scrum teams and serve as a liaison between the development team and their customers. They help the team understand business needs and priorities, and they own the creation and maintenance of the product backlog.Product Owners assist in driving the scope and planning activities for releases and sprints. They participate in testing and acceptance of the features that are developed. They also coordinate release plans and training with the end-users.

This question is asked to determine if a candidate has a general understanding of the duties of a product owner. Interviewers realize that companies implement the role differently depending on needs and seek to test basic Scrum knowledge.

Remember to limit your response to roles and responsibilities that align with classical Scrum team models. While product owners sometimes take on project management or other duties outside of the product owner role, these functions are not typical of the Scrum process and should be excluded from your response.

What are some of the considerations that need to be made when prioritizing user stories within the product backlog?

There are several main considerations to make when prioritizing the product backlog. Product Owners need to consider the business need of the requested functionality and the value it is expected to generate. They also need to consider how each user story aligns with the business goals and how they can be delivered in an order that makes sense for the affected user groups. Likewise, It is important to consider technical requirements when prioritizing stories. Sometimes there is technical debt or setup that must be done before high-priority user stories can be worked on. None of the considerations I mentioned are more important than the others. The right approach is dependent on the situation at the time the prioritization is made. I help my business partners understand that the priorities can and should shift when new, more valuable opportunities arise.

Product Backlog prioritization is a major responsibility of the Product Owner role. Interviewers ask this question to determine if a candidate understands how to analyze and prioritize both business and technical requests when performing this task.

Remember to describe a well-rounded approach including consideration of factors such as business need, technical feasibility, and customer satisfaction within your response. A well-prioritized backlog is holistic and incorporates the feedback and needs of all sides to develop the most valuable plan possible.

What are the characteristics of a well-developed backlog item?

"A well-developed backlog item should be described well enough that the team understands the scope of the item and the basic details associated with it, such as the requestor name or request date. Additionally, it should be prioritized within the list of related backlog items and estimated. Finally, a well-developed backlog item should include any applicable acceptance criteria."

Product backlog creation and grooming are critical responsibilities of the product owner role. Interviewers ask this question to test the candidate's basic knowledge and ensure they understand the qualities that should exist within the backlog items they would author if hired for the open position.

Remember to include backlog item metadata, such as the name of the requestor or the date the item was added to the backlog. Many companies use solutions such as Jira that help product owners track this data automatically, but including it within your response helps to demonstrate your understanding that backlog item metadata is an important component of a well-developed backlog item.

What are the artifacts of Scrum?

The main artifacts of Scrum are the product backlog, the sprint backlog, and the product. Over the years, teams have expanded this list to include things like sprint retrospective commitment lists, release plans, user story maps, and burndown charts.

A standard implementation of Scrum includes three main artifacts that are created and maintained by the team regularly. This question is meant to test your basic Scrum knowledge.

Remember to limit your response to Scrum artifacts such as burndown charts and backlogs. While they may be helpful supplementary tools, interviewers would not expect candidates to include artifacts like project plans, process flows, charters, or roadmaps in their answers.

What is release planning, and what is the role of the product owner during this meeting?

Release planning sessions are used to determine the high-level scope for upcoming sprints and how completed stories will be released. Teams review calendars and availability and determine how their projected completion dates align with the needs of their customers. Some of the main inputs are the product backlog and the estimated velocity of the team. The Product Owner answers questions about priority and story scope during these sessions. They also explain how releasing functionality at various times will impact their customers operationally or financially.

Release planning is especially important for projects with large teams or large scope projects that fall under the authority of a program management office or projects for clients that can only implement new features at certain times. Interviewers ask this question to determine if you know the goals of the session and how it can add value in a scaled environment.

Remember to only include release planning agenda items that are classically in scope for this style of meeting. For example, most teams would not expect to have a discussion about estimation for a future project or specific development tasks during release planning.

What is a minimally viable product?

A minimally viable product, or MVP, represents the product features that need to be completed for a product to launch initially. The initial release is usually developed for a small set of users who provide feedback that can be incorporated into future sprints. As a Product Owner, I collaborate with the business and development team to determine the right mix of user stories to be included in the MVP. I also partner with the business to determine which users will be included in the initial release and how they will provide feedback. This approach reduces risk, as problems concerning usability and bugs arise early in the process. Early user feedback also lets me validate user story prioritization and make adjustments as necessary. In some cases, it generates excitement and increases buy-in within user groups.

There is usually a difference between the minimal functionality necessary to launch a product and the scope of an entire project. Interviewers ask this question to ensure you know the various techniques that foster the execution of this important Scrum concept.

Remember to demonstrate your understanding that the Product Owner is not solely responsible for deciding which stories define the scope of a minimally viable product. Other members of the team often offer technical, usability, and feedback mechanism considerations that should be considered when determining MVP scope.

Describe the role of the product owner during a sprint planning meeting.

During sprint planning, Product Owners review the proposed stories they would like to see included in the sprint based on the team's availability and velocity. Teams then discuss the stories - why they are needed and how they will be used. Product Owners capture any questions for their business users or customers. The discussion is collaborative and often includes the negotiation of important technical stories into the scope. The team defines their tasks for the stories and develops the sprint backlog that is representative of the scope commitment for the sprint. Some teams also create a development calendar for the sprint that projects when stories are scheduled to be ready for testing and review. Product Owners do not drive that portion of the meeting, but they are typically available as needed for questions.

Sprint planning is an important Scrum ceremony that involves reviewing the proposed sprint scope and developing the sprint backlog. Interviewers ask this question to ensure candidates understand the scope and importance of the role product owners play in this meeting.

Remember to indicate that product owners collaborate with other team members to decide the scope of the user stories the team plans to include in the sprint. Sprint planning involves negotiation and developing a strategy that serves the development team in addition to the customers.

What is a persona, and how is it used in agile development?

A persona is a description of a hypothetical end-user of a product. It contains information about that user's role within the business, their demographic, what their work environment is like, and what their lifestyle might be like. For example, I may write a persona for an accounting manager if I am responsible for a system that has financial reporting functionality. The goal of the persona is to help the development team think from the perspective of the end-user when designing and building solutions. Over time, it assists teams in making user-focused changes in feature usability that improve user satisfaction.

Many Scrum teams leverage personas to develop optimal user experiences. Interviewers ask this question when user details such as environment or demographic play a significant role in the success of the solutions developed for their company.

Remember to research the difference between personas and actual users of a system if you are not familiar with this concept. Personas are hypothetical and represent the general lifestyle and work situation of a group of users within a system. They are not meant to be tied to a specific person.

How do you feel you can add value to the QA testing process as a product owner?

"As a product owner, I can add the most value to the QA testing process by representing the customer or user perspective. I can answer questions about the acceptance criteria and gather any additional information needed from the customer to move a story forward. Additionally, I can jump in and test stories myself and provide guidance on whether or not issues that are identified need to be addressed before a story can be accepted at the user level."

Testing products to ensure they meet the standard of quality that makes sense for the product and its consumers is a critical piece of the product development process. While product owners are not always the primary tester, they can add value and perspective to the process. This question is included in a product owner interview to learn how a candidate plans to add value to the phases of product development for which they are not primarily responsible.

Remember to indicate that you are willing and able to manually test your product as a product owner. While your main responsibility may lie in resolving any scope or functionality-related questions from the user's perspective, interviewers appreciate candidates willing to jump in and help their teams in multiple ways.

What are some examples of product backlog items you might not author yourself as a product owner?

"As a product owner, I might not author backlog items, such as defects, technical debt items, and technical information gathering items."

Product backlog ownership and maintenance is often a shared responsibility within a team. Interviewers ask this question to determine if a product owner understands that backlogs can contain more than user-focused feature requests. These items represent essential work necessary for user stories to be developed properly, and product owners may play a role in their documentation and prioritization.

Remember to include information gathering or research items within your list of examples. Teams often need time to research their options before deciding on a course of action. It is important to properly represent this work within a backlog as it adds value to the process and must be scheduled accordingly.

What is the difference between a product manager and a product owner?

"In my experience, there is a lot of confusion about the difference between these two roles, and the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. In companies that have both roles, product managers determine which products will fulfill user needs and whether or not they are viable and feasible given the results of market analysis. They develop an overall strategy for development and release and own the product roadmap. They coordinate activities between groups such as marketing, legal, finance, and engineering. They interact directly with the customer. Product owners play a specific role within development teams. They develop product backlogs that represent the specific work that must be done to develop the product itself. They drive iteration goals and define the acceptance criteria for user stories. They facilitate discussions with the product manager or with users directly to refine the scope and gain user acceptance before the release of a product iteration.Can you tell me how the two functions of product management and product ownership are handled within the teams I would be working with if selected for the open position?"

Product management and ownership represent product-related duties that companies fulfill in various ways. Interviewers ask this question to test a candidate's basic knowledge of these concepts and to learn more about how the candidate compares and contrasts them.

Remember to mention that the functions of product management and product ownership can be owned by one or more individuals depending on the product and the company's structure. Answer using the traditionally accepted definition of each role if you are unclear about how the two roles are viewed by the company you are interviewing with.

We hire product owners with IT backgrounds that serve as a proxy for the business they will be developing products for. How will you ensure that you have the knowledge needed to develop an effective product backlog?

"In my early career as an engineer, I frequently requested to attend client meetings alongside our analysts and project managers. I asked questions and helped to refine the requirements that were gathered. Additionally, I shadowed end users and worked to understand their workflows and pain points. All of those activities helped me to understand their perspective and improved my work as an engineer. As a product owner, I follow a similar approach. I learn about their business from the ground up by asking questions, reviewing workflows, shadowing, and using their current systems. I establish strong relationships with senior stakeholders and end users where appropriate and use the information I gather and my technical expertise to formulate effective backlogs."

Business systems analysts, support analysts, engineers, service managers, or IT professionals with similar titles sometimes fulfill the role of a product owner within product development teams. Interviewers ask this question to ensure the candidate they select has a plan to gather the specific industry expertise necessary to effectively author and prioritize product backlogs on behalf of their customers.

Remember to include a mix of strategies within your response. Also, discuss strategies that make sense for the users or customers of the company you are interviewing with. For example, a company that develops gaming apps would not expect a product owner to gain expertise by shadowing end users in an office setting.

Imagine you are holding a product backlog refinement meeting. What is your role, and what is the outcome?

"Backlog refinement meetings are facilitated in various ways depending on the team and the customer, but they typically involve reviewing the backlog items, adjusting priority, refining scope details, removing items that are no longer necessary, and estimating new items. As a product owner, I typically make adjustments to the stories as we go, and I keep a list of details that need further clarification after the meeting. For example, if my team struggled to estimate a user story because we were unsure of the scope, I would make a note to discuss it with the product manager or users after the meeting. The rest of the team members raise new backlog items for consideration, ask questions, and participate in estimation. The scrum master helps to ensure that the process goes smoothly.Ultimately, the outcome of the meeting is a well-groomed product backlog and a list of any applicable action items to be tackled after the meeting."

Product backlog refinement or grooming is an important activity that occurs regularly during product development to ensure teams are working on the right items at the right time. Interviewers ask this question to ensure a potential product owner understands the importance of refinement and their role in the process.

Remember to include removing old items from the backlog in the scope of the activities in your answer. Also, it can be helpful to offer your understanding of the role of other team members, such as engineers or scrum masters. This additional information may increase the interviewer's confidence in your potential for success if selected for the open position.

"Sprints represent iterations in agile product development. They are short, time-boxed team initiatives in which a certain portion of a product is analyzed, designed, developed, tested, and potentially released."

Interviewers use questions like these to separate viable candidates from those not educated on basic agile development terms and practices. Product development teams follow intense, specific, and repeatable workflows, and many companies expect the product owners they hire to be well-versed in this area.

Remember to communicate that sprints are short and time-boxed, or fixed in length. Demonstrate that you understand the goal of a sprint is to create fully developed and tested product increments that are potentially releasable to the end users of the product.

What is the optimal length for a sprint in your opinion?

"The optimal length for a sprint varies depending on the team, the size of the team, the needs of the customer, and the type of product being developed. I usually like to work in two-week sprints with small teams that develop relatively simple products, technologically speaking. I prefer extending sprints to three or even four weeks when working with larger teams that develop complex solutions that are heavily integrated with other systems. I find that it reduces story carryover and overhead.What is the sprint length for the team I would work with if offered the product owner position at XYZ company?"

Optimal sprint length is a widely debated subject within agile development communities. Some teams elect for shorter sprints with a smaller scope to minimize risk and improve their ability to continually release. Some prefer longer sprints to allow more time to complete complex features. There is no right or wrong answer to this question, but it is often included in an interview to test a candidate's knowledge of the factors that would impact a team's sprint length decision.

Remember to describe the value of whatever sprint length you choose for your answer. For example, you might state that you prefer working in two-week sprints because it helps the team limit work in progress and deliver functioning products sooner and more regularly. Also, it is important to note that the sprint length should align with the needs of the team, the needs of the customer, and the type of product being developed. The goal is to select a length that generates a maximum velocity state over time."

What is the definition of 'ready' and how does it compare to the definition of 'done'?

"DoR, or 'Definition of Ready,' is a designation given to backlog items ready to be released. They have been tested and accepted by the team and the customer or stakeholder as appropriate. DoD, or 'Definition of Done,' is a designation given to backlog items that are complete from a development and testing perspective. When a backlog item is done, the team member(s) responsible can move on to the next item. From a timeline perspective, backlog items first reach the state of done and then move into the ready phase after customer acceptance and any final activities such as training that might be necessary before they can be released."

The definitions of 'done' and 'ready' represent crucial checkpoints in the product backlog item development workflow. Companies seek candidates that understand these terms as they will be expected to adhere to the concepts behind them during product development.

Remember to describe what must occur before an item is 'ready' or 'done' and what comes next in the workflow. Providing a complete picture of the workflow will help inspire confidence in your ability to properly adhere to these concepts of the product development methodology followed by the interviewing team.

What is the difference between a user story and a product backlog item?

"Backlog item is an overarching term that represents the work required to develop, support, maintain, and ultimately decommission a product. User stories are a specific type of backlog item that represents features required to satisfy user requirements for the product. Other backlog items include defects, technical work, and information-gathering initiatives."

Some product owner interviews include questions that test a candidate's agile vocabulary. Interviewers value candidates who can demonstrate proper understanding and use of terms they will need to use and potentially explain to their customers regularly.

Thoroughly research terms like product backlogs, sprint backlogs, user stories, and product backlog items if you are new to agile development methodologies before your interview. Candidates transitioning from industry-specific or IT roles, such as business analysts, will be more successful in an interview for a product owner position if they can use correct agile terminology.

How do you know when a user story is ready for test?

"Stories that are ready for testing are fully developed and have met all of the required conditions in addition to the acceptance criteria. For example, all related developer tasks such as database changes, UI changes, environment setting adjustments, data staging, etc. must be complete before marking a story ready for testing."

This is a common product owner interview question because teams that are somewhat new to agile methodology struggle to know exactly when their backlog items are complete from a development perspective. Interviewers ask this question because product owners play an important role in helping to define the ready-for-test criteria that must be met before a backlog item can be tested.

Remember to indicate that user stories that are ready for testing meet conditions beyond the user-focused acceptance criteria. Additional conditions of a story may include technical items such as related refactoring, changes to integrated systems, or data staging that must be completed before a story can be handed off for testing.

What are acceptance criteria, and why are they important?

"Acceptance criteria represent the conditions that should exist within a developed user story before the story can be accepted. For example, if an accounting user needs a system to calculate state tax, they require that the system allows for state tax rates to be updated. Acceptance criteria are important because they help teams avoid scope creep and set expectations. They also provide a guide for testing."

This question is included in a product owner interview because acceptance criteria are critical components of a well-developed product backlog item. Interviewers want to ensure the candidate they select understands the concept and why it adds value to the product development process.

Remember to state that acceptance criteria help teams to manage scope. While acceptance criteria play an important role in driving the testing strategy for a product, it is also important to demonstrate your understanding that they help teams to only develop what is needed for the feature to be ultimately accepted by the user.

Can you provide an example of a quality user story?

"A quality user story should communicate the user persona most affected by the story, the functionality needed, and the need that is satisfied when it is delivered. For example, a user story for a search page of an eCommerce website might be as follows: As a customer, I am presented with a list of products that are related to the product I searched for so that I can review a more comprehensive list of products I might want to purchase.'In addition to the story title, the story should be prioritized and estimated by the team that will develop it. The story should also include basic scope details or acceptance criteria. An example of acceptance criteria would be: 'The user is presented with a message that draws their attention to the additional products that other customers frequently purchase when they run a similar search.'"

User stories communicate the needs of users and the features necessary to fulfill them. In many cases, the user-centric approach of writing user stories is preferred over traditional business requirements and functional requirement documentation. Interviewers ask this question to ensure the candidate can apply this critical concept of agile product development.

Remember to use one of the traditionally accepted user story formats within your response. For example, the 'As an , I need the ability to so that I can ' is a format that is widely used by product development teams today.

Describe a time you experienced conflict while advocating for your client during a Scrum project.

I served as a Product Owner for a website that allowed external clients to search a large database of videos and other media products for download. I talked with several of my internal stakeholders responsible for customer support, and they described a common complaint about the usability of the search tool. Users reported missing results and a painful filtering experience, so I began to develop a strategy to build something more user-friendly. The development team pushed back and offered some ideas about why the users were not getting their expected results. They suggested we train the users to work with the current design. I helped the team understand the personas of the users who most frequently used this functionality. They were often junior team members, and their roles had a high turnover rate. Due to their age demographic, they were used to search tools similar to those used in popular applications. I asserted that making a more intuitive experience for them would add more value than continuous training on an outdated tool. I demonstrated how the improvement would lead to increased sales that would quickly offer the ROI needed to justify the time and resources the effort would take. We embedded a new search tool that followed the users throughout the site. It was more intuitive, it was faster, and the results were better. Our sales increased, the customer experience was improved, and our business partners were thrilled with the results.

Debates over story scope, prioritization, and implementation are common in Scrum. Product Owners are required to represent the perspective of their customers during this process. Interviewers ask this question to ensure candidates have the soft skills necessary to navigate these discussions.

Agile and Scrum development practices focus on defining the value stream of any given course of action. It is possible that the highest value outcome does not align with the original customer request. Remember to show respect for your customer's perspective in your response while demonstrating your ability to choose the best path.

How would you rate your ability to respond to team-level conflict?

"I would say that I am good at responding to team-level conflicts. I stay calm and do my best to steer the team toward logical points of consideration instead of emotional arguments. I would like to be excellent at facilitating solutions to conflict one day, and I am grateful the product owner provides opportunities to grow in this area."

Product owners often find themselves at the center of team conflicts. For example, they regularly advocate for the needs of their users and prioritize those needs alongside essential technical items such as refactoring, technical debt, and support. Interviewers ask this question to gain insight into how a candidate views their ability to handle themselves when the needs of their users conflict with the needs of their team.

Remember to demonstrate humility within your response, even if you are excellent in the face of conflict. Interviewers appreciate candidates who can identify where they can continue to grow the skills they already possess.

Describe a time you experienced a conflict with an engineer on a team you worked on.

"We use Jira to manage our backlog in my current role as a product owner. The engineers on my team sometimes get together privately and discuss technical work they feel is important. The tech lead was in the habit of creating technical backlog items in Jira and prioritizing them as he saw fit. I would then later see the items in the backlog prioritized over important work that had already been planned for release by a specific date. The team would get upset with me when I would move them down in the list accordingly, and it caused a lot of conflicts. I went to the tech lead and asked if he would make a list of the technical backlog items and meet with me to discuss them before adding them to Jira. That way, we could collectively discuss the priority and ensure they were ranked with the customers' needs in mind. This change in the process helped me to understand the backend of the system and the needs of the engineers, and it helped our tech lead understand the customer perspective. Ultimately, the change in the process added a lot of value."

Product owners and engineers do not always agree. Interviewers ask this question to learn more about how a candidate handles themselves in these potentially challenging situations.

Remember to select an example of a time you experienced a professional conflict rather than a personal conflict. While personalities can clash in the workplace, airing out these conflicts may leave your interviewer with a poor impression. It is best to stick to an example where you disagreed about the scope of a story or the prioritization of work within a backlog.

How do you determine if an idea is a worthwhile investment?

There are several factors to consider when deciding if an idea is a good investment from a product development perspective. I consider:- How well the solution aligns with the business goals - The risk of not addressing the problem - Whether or not the functionality is repeatable - Whether the solution can be scaled to meet the needs of multiple user groups - Whether the solution will improve morale or satisfaction - Whether the solution will generate revenue or reduce operating costs - How relatively easy or difficult it is to build - Whether the solution offers a competitive advantage - Whether the solution improves customer satisfactionSolutions that have the potential to add value in more than one of the areas I mentioned or solutions that serve large populations are typically prioritized higher. I also use a mix of queries, interviews, and research to gather the data needed to make the proper considerations.

User story prioritization is a core responsibility of Product Owners. This question is asked to understand the thought process a candidate would use to prioritize user stories and counsel their clients on future investments.

Remember to describe analytical processes that can be executed in a relatively swift manner. Scrum projects typically require teams to make quick decisions based on data that can be easily gathered and analyzed.

What aspects of your professional background set you up for success as a product owner?

My hybrid business and technology background sets me up for success in the Product Owner role. My time as a business systems analyst taught me how technology is developed and the phases involved. I also understand system design best practices and have experience applying them on behalf of my customers. This same experience helped me to grow my business knowledge as it required me to shadow and learn various business processes and create solutions with business goals in mind. Additionally, I have experience working in the Product Owner role itself. I have over five years of experience in developing product vision, creating and maintaining backlogs, and working with development teams in a Scrum setting to create and implement value-driven solutions.

Some product owners have technical or analytical experience, and others have deep business process-specific knowledge. Some candidates have a mix of both. The interviewer asks this to ensure the candidate's background is in line with the specific needs of their team.

Remember to consider discussing aspects of your background that you obtained outside of the product owner role. For example, you may have previously worked in an operational role that represents the target audience of the product the team you're interviewing with develops.

What is the most valuable lesson you have learned so far in your career?

"The biggest lesson I have learned is the power of having a humble spirit and an open mind. I have learned that the best possible ideas for any given solution can come from anywhere. It is not always my job to imagine the best solution. It is my job to seek ideas and bridge them together in a cohesive fashion so they can be understood, supported, engineered, and implemented in the best way possible."

Interviewers ask this question to test a candidate's capacity for learning and growth. Acceptable answers can involve technical or interpersonal lessons and should demonstrate how you might add value to the hiring company.

Remember to answer this question with an example that is scalable or repeatable. The most valuable lesson you have learned in your career should involve something that initially made a sizable positive change and offers potential for future value to your next company.

Tell me about yourself.

I have a bachelor's degree in computer information systems, and my first role out of college was in data analytics. I enjoyed the work, but I wanted to move closer to the product development process. I sought out a mentor who worked as a Product Owner and shadowed her in addition to my analyst duties. I learned a lot about the Scrum process and effective product ownership. I landed a position as a Product Owner a year ago and have been in that role since. Our team develops all of the user support functions for our company's website. I enjoy working with my team, but I would like to expand my work into other product areas so that I can continue to grow my Product Owner skills. I feel the position here at XYZ company is a wonderful opportunity to help me grow while leveraging my current skills and experience.

This is a basic question likely to be asked in any interview. The motivation behind this question is simple. Your interviewer wants to know more about your education and the professional roles you've held.While preparing a response before your interview may seem unnecessary, it is always best to have a list of self-introduction talking points at the ready. The details you offer will help your interviewer steer the conversation. Therefore, it is important to include details that are not represented on your resume but may be important to the work you will be doing if hired for the open position.

Remember to consider including any of the following in addition to a high-level walkthrough of your educational and professional background:- Why you're excited about the open position - Travel you've done relevant to any international communities you may work with - Projects, customers, technologies, or vendors you have experience with that are relevant to the open position - Certifications applicable to the Product Owner role - How you know the person who recommended you - Your short-term career goalsKeep in mind that this question typically comes at the beginning of your interview. It is your first impression and it is important to let your personality shine while demonstrating your presentation skills. You may find it helpful to practice your response to this question a few times before your interview if you are typically nervous at the start of an interview. Nailing this question will help boost your confidence and set the stage for success.

My background lies in marketing. I worked for several small to mid-size marketing firms after college graduation. I began with small marketing campaigns and materials and then moved into creative project management. In that role, I had the opportunity to work with several product development teams. I enjoyed collaborating with them and I assisted their Product Owner regularly. I then decided to pursue my Product Owner certification and move into an official Product Owner role. I have worked with my current team for the last two years. Our team develops social media marketing design tools. I enjoy the role as it allows me to leverage my marketing expertise while working directly in product development. Jane Doe recommended me for the Product Owner position here at XYZ company because she knew my background in marketing would be an ideal fit for the open Product Owner position. I am excited to be here today and look forward to learning more about the team(s) and product(s) I will be working with if hired.

I worked for five years as an administrative assistant to three entertainment production executives. My title was a bit misleading because I mostly managed large projects for them and oversaw a team of operations assistants. We handled all of our departments' hiring, scheduling, billing, and purchasing. I was asked to serve as the Product Owner for a series of resource scheduling, payroll, and reporting projects two years ago. The projects served my department and three other partner departments. The development team had an analyst that served as a product owner proxy, but he lacked expertise in our operations. We developed a method for collaborating, and I learned Scrum while he learned about our operations. I have used the software developed here at XYZ company for the last three years. I would love the opportunity to serve as a Product Owner for the ABC functions. I feel my in-depth background in operations and executive-style reporting will add value to the team and the product.

Are you a certified product owner?

"I am a certified Professional Scrum Product Owner. I received my certification last year."

Some companies seek product owners with specific credentials. There are two popular certifications widely recognized within the role of the product owner. They are Certified Scrum Product Owners (CSPOs) and Professional Scrum Product Owners (PSPOs). Interviewers ask this question to identify candidates with certifiable skills that apply to the product owner role.

Remember to be honest about your certification status if it has expired. CSPO certifications require renewal every two years, so be sure to validate the status of your certification before your interview.

What certifications or education do you have that are relevant to the product owner role?

I obtained my Certified Scrum Product Owner certification through Scrum Alliance. I also have an active Agile Analysis Certification through the International Institute of Business Analysis. I have also taken project management, user story estimation, leadership, and testing courses that have served me in my role as a Product Owner.

Product owner, SAFe Agilist, and Scrum Master certifications have become a recent qualification for many agile roles, including the Scrum Product Owner. Interviewers ask this question to ensure you have a specifically required certification or the educational background necessary to fulfill the duties of the role.

Remember to be clear about the status of any certifications you describe within your response. Some future employers validate certification status with the organizations that provide them. Any confusion around this topic may prevent you from moving forward in the interview or hiring process.

What development methodologies do you have experience with?

"In my early career, I worked on waterfall projects. Most recently, I have worked on Scrum teams and within an enterprise that is making a transition to the Scaled Agile Framework."

Products are developed using various methodologies, including formal approaches such as Scrum and hybrid approaches that blend and scale agile best practices in a way that works best for a specific team. Interviewers ask this question to learn more about a candidate's background working with various methodologies and determine whether their experience is a match for the requirements of the product owner opportunity.

Remember to answer authentically. This question is an opportunity for the interviewer to ask follow-up questions about your specific duties within a given methodology. Candidates that embellish their experience within a particular methodology run the risk of their interviewer uncovering their dishonesty during follow-up answers.

What strategic planning facilitation techniques do you have experience with?

I have experience facilitating SWOT analysis sessions. In these sessions, we develop lists of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Then, we determine their impact on the business and develop goals accordingly. I have also worked with the OKR model to develop objectives and key results. This model is useful for developing the key performance indicators for the products I am responsible for.Each of these methods works well in a Scrum setting. They only require a few meetings and provide the right level of information to drive the product vision setting, approval, and user story mapping activities that typically come next.

Scrum projects are focused on developing quality and valuable solutions quickly. Properly developing a high-level strategy is critical in this fast-paced environment. Interviewers seek Product Owner candidates with experience using quick-hit strategic planning methods.

Remember to describe discovery and strategic planning techniques that can be facilitated relatively quickly. Scrum does not typically allow for this type of detailed analysis.

What is a user persona, and have you ever used them in your work as a product owner?

"A user persona is a fictional character based on a common user or stakeholder of a product. Information is provided about the persona that helps development or marketing teams understand the perspective of potential customers or users of the products they develop. User stories are then in user-centric and persona-driven formats. For example, if I am building healthcare software, I might write personas to represent the perspectives of nurses, doctors, administrators, billing specialists, social workers, accounting managers, etcetera.My current team works with personas, and I use them to author and refine user stories. The personas were originally created by a user interaction design specialist, but I have added details to them over the years."

User-centered design approaches are commonplace for commercially sold products and are now a focus within enterprise solution development groups at many companies. Interviewers ask this question when they anticipate the product owner they select will be responsible for creating or utilizing personas to ensure that the features their teams develop align with the needs and desires of their users at each stage of the development process.

Remember to provide an easy-to-understand example of a user persona within your response. This additional information will demonstrate your ability to apply and explain this product development concept.

What software or tools do you have experience using to facilitate the Scrum process?

I have used Jira and Wrike in the past. I like them both, and the setup varied from team to team. I like Excel for backlog management when I am working on small teams or teams with limited budgets.I also like to use sticky notes and note cards when it makes sense. They provide me with the ability to quickly and visually organize large data sets. Virtual whiteboards or sticky note apps can also work for online teams.

Many teams leverage software to manage the Scrum process. Interviewers ask this question to determine if a candidate has experience using tools similar to the ones their company relies on.

Remember to limit your response to tools you have a real working knowledge of. Some companies search for candidates who can assist their team in adopting or improving their implementation of a specific tool. Follow-up questions may expose your lack of knowledge or dishonesty if you list tools you have not actually used.

Product Owner Interview Questions

Go Back

1. Why do you want a career as a product owner?
2. Why should we hire you?
3. Describe a time you helped your stakeholders or business partner understand a technical need.
4. How do you know when you have experienced success as a product owner?
5. What types of behavioral patterns can a product owner display that add value to their Scrum projects?
6. How do you facilitate the story estimation process?
7. What are your weaknesses?
8. What are some of the things you do when you encounter difficult stakeholders?
9. What experience do you have presenting information to senior management and/or executives?
10. What are the main communication responsibilities of a product owner?
11. How do you communicate business need to the development team?
12. What is the difference between a sprint backlog and a product backlog?
13. What is your method for gathering business knowledge in areas where you are not a subject matter expert?
14. What are the basic components of a product roadmap?
15. What metrics or KPIs do you feel are important for a product owner to track?
16. What is user story mapping, and what value does it create for the business clients of a project?
17. Imagine that you are a product owner for an eCommerce website. Can you give me an example backlog item for a shopping cart?
18. What are the components of a good user story?
19. What are the main responsibilities of the product owner role on a Scrum team?
20. What are some of the considerations that need to be made when prioritizing user stories within the product backlog?
21. What are the characteristics of a well-developed backlog item?
22. What are the artifacts of Scrum?
23. What is release planning, and what is the role of the product owner during this meeting?
24. What is a minimally viable product?
25. Describe the role of the product owner during a sprint planning meeting.
26. What is a persona, and how is it used in agile development?
27. How do you feel you can add value to the QA testing process as a product owner?
28. What are some examples of product backlog items you might not author yourself as a product owner?
29. What is the difference between a product manager and a product owner?
30. We hire product owners with IT backgrounds that serve as a proxy for the business they will be developing products for. How will you ensure that you have the knowledge needed to develop an effective product backlog?
31. Imagine you are holding a product backlog refinement meeting. What is your role, and what is the outcome?
32. What is a sprint?
33. What is the optimal length for a sprint in your opinion?
34. What is the definition of 'ready' and how does it compare to the definition of 'done'?
35. What is the difference between a user story and a product backlog item?
36. How do you know when a user story is ready for test?
37. What are acceptance criteria, and why are they important?
38. Can you provide an example of a quality user story?
39. Describe a time you experienced conflict while advocating for your client during a Scrum project.
40. How would you rate your ability to respond to team-level conflict?
41. Describe a time you experienced a conflict with an engineer on a team you worked on.
42. How do you determine if an idea is a worthwhile investment?
43. What aspects of your professional background set you up for success as a product owner?
44. What is the most valuable lesson you have learned so far in your career?
45. Tell me about yourself.
46. Are you a certified product owner?
47. What certifications or education do you have that are relevant to the product owner role?
48. What development methodologies do you have experience with?
49. What strategic planning facilitation techniques do you have experience with?
50. What is a user persona, and have you ever used them in your work as a product owner?
51. What software or tools do you have experience using to facilitate the Scrum process?
52. What phases of product development do you have experience working within?
53. What experience do you have working with vendors for technology solutions?
54. What is your experience in software delivery and client training?
55. Describe your level of expertise within the XYZ industry.
56. Describe the projects where you served as a product owner.
57. What is your experience with user interaction design techniques?
58. What kind of leadership experience do you have?
59. What are some methods of addressing user stories that are deemed to be too large by the development team?
60. What common challenges have you faced as a product owner?
61. Can you discuss a situation in which you had to direct a project stakeholder toward a different course of action than the one they had originally planned to pursue?
62. Imagine you are working with your team to develop a search results page and the engineers have several potential candidates for the backend search technology. How would you represent the work necessary to decide which is best within your product backlog?
63. Imagine that a stakeholder refuses to accept a release you demo. What next steps do you take as a product owner?
64. What is the role of Scrum Master, and how do you interact with this role as a product owner?
65. What is your best teamwork-related skill?

Product Owner Interview Questions

1. Why do you want a career as a product owner?

2. Why should we hire you?

3. Describe a time you helped your stakeholders or business partner understand a technical need.

4. How do you know when you have experienced success as a product owner?

5. What types of behavioral patterns can a product owner display that add value to their Scrum projects?

6. How do you facilitate the story estimation process?

7. What are your weaknesses?

8. What are some of the things you do when you encounter difficult stakeholders?

9. What experience do you have presenting information to senior management and/or executives?

10. What are the main communication responsibilities of a product owner?

11. How do you communicate business need to the development team?

12. What is the difference between a sprint backlog and a product backlog?

13. What is your method for gathering business knowledge in areas where you are not a subject matter expert?

14. What are the basic components of a product roadmap?

15. What metrics or KPIs do you feel are important for a product owner to track?

16. What is user story mapping, and what value does it create for the business clients of a project?

17. Imagine that you are a product owner for an eCommerce website. Can you give me an example backlog item for a shopping cart?

18. What are the components of a good user story?

19. What are the main responsibilities of the product owner role on a Scrum team?

20. What are some of the considerations that need to be made when prioritizing user stories within the product backlog?

21. What are the characteristics of a well-developed backlog item?

22. What are the artifacts of Scrum?

23. What is release planning, and what is the role of the product owner during this meeting?

24. What is a minimally viable product?

25. Describe the role of the product owner during a sprint planning meeting.

26. What is a persona, and how is it used in agile development?

27. How do you feel you can add value to the QA testing process as a product owner?

28. What are some examples of product backlog items you might not author yourself as a product owner?

29. What is the difference between a product manager and a product owner?

30. We hire product owners with IT backgrounds that serve as a proxy for the business they will be developing products for. How will you ensure that you have the knowledge needed to develop an effective product backlog?

31. Imagine you are holding a product backlog refinement meeting. What is your role, and what is the outcome?

32. What is a sprint?

33. What is the optimal length for a sprint in your opinion?

34. What is the definition of 'ready' and how does it compare to the definition of 'done'?

35. What is the difference between a user story and a product backlog item?

36. How do you know when a user story is ready for test?

37. What are acceptance criteria, and why are they important?

38. Can you provide an example of a quality user story?

39. Describe a time you experienced conflict while advocating for your client during a Scrum project.

40. How would you rate your ability to respond to team-level conflict?

41. Describe a time you experienced a conflict with an engineer on a team you worked on.

42. How do you determine if an idea is a worthwhile investment?

43. What aspects of your professional background set you up for success as a product owner?

44. What is the most valuable lesson you have learned so far in your career?

45. Tell me about yourself.

46. Are you a certified product owner?

47. What certifications or education do you have that are relevant to the product owner role?

48. What development methodologies do you have experience with?

49. What strategic planning facilitation techniques do you have experience with?

50. What is a user persona, and have you ever used them in your work as a product owner?

51. What software or tools do you have experience using to facilitate the Scrum process?

52. What phases of product development do you have experience working within?

53. What experience do you have working with vendors for technology solutions?

54. What is your experience in software delivery and client training?

55. Describe your level of expertise within the XYZ industry.

56. Describe the projects where you served as a product owner.

57. What is your experience with user interaction design techniques?

58. What kind of leadership experience do you have?

59. What are some methods of addressing user stories that are deemed to be too large by the development team?

60. What common challenges have you faced as a product owner?

61. Can you discuss a situation in which you had to direct a project stakeholder toward a different course of action than the one they had originally planned to pursue?

62. Imagine you are working with your team to develop a search results page and the engineers have several potential candidates for the backend search technology. How would you represent the work necessary to decide which is best within your product backlog?

63. Imagine that a stakeholder refuses to accept a release you demo. What next steps do you take as a product owner?

64. What is the role of Scrum Master, and how do you interact with this role as a product owner?

65. What is your best teamwork-related skill?