Pass PSPO-I Exam Guide

In Scrum, there is only one product and one Product Backlog for a given product. The Product Backlog is the single source of truth for the Scrum Team and the stakeholders. It contains all the requirements, features, functions, enhancements, fixes, and anything else that can deliver value to the customers and users of the product. The Product Backlog is ordered by the Product Owner based on the product vision, goals, and value.

Having multiple Product Backlogs for one product would create confusion, duplication, inconsistency, and waste. It would also make it harder to align the Scrum Teams and the stakeholders on the same product direction and priorities. Therefore, a Product Owner with multiple teams working on one product should not maintain separate Product Backlogs for each team.

The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team. The Product Owner is responsible for managing and refining the Product Backlog, collaborating with the stakeholders and the Developers, and ordering the items in a way that best achieves goals and missions. The Product Owner represents the interests of everyone with a stake in the product and ensures that the Scrum Team works on the right things at the right time.

In some cases, when there are multiple Scrum Teams working on one product, it may be necessary to have some form of scaling or coordination mechanism to ensure alignment and collaboration among the teams. However, this does not mean that there should be multiple Product Owners or Product Backlogs. Instead, there should be ways to facilitate communication, feedback, integration, and transparency among the teams and with the Product Owner. For example, some frameworks or practices that can help with scaling Scrum are Nexus, LeSS, SAFe, or Scrum of Scrums.

The Developers are the ones who determine how many Product Backlog items they select for a Sprint. The Developers are self-managing and decide how much work they can do in a Sprint1. The Product Owner and the Developers collaborate on the scope of the Sprint during Sprint Planning, but the final decision is up to the Developers2. The Product Owner, the Scrum Master, and the stakeholders do not have the authority to tell the Developers how many Product Backlog items they should select, as this would violate the principle of self-management[3][3] .

The Definition of Done is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product. The Definition of Done is created by the Scrum Team, not just the Developers. The Scrum Team must have a shared understanding of what it means for work to be complete, to ensure transparency. The Definition of Done is used to assess when work is complete on the product Increment. The Definition of Done may vary significantly per Scrum Team, depending on the context. The Definition of Done evolves over time and is updated whenever the Scrum Team learns more about the product and the environment in which it operates.

The Scrum Guide

Understanding and Applying the Scrum Framework

Professional Scrum Product Owner™ I Certification

A Product Backlog is:

Managed by the Product Owner. The Product Owner is the sole person responsible for managing the Product Backlog, which is an emergent, ordered list of what is needed to improve the product. They must ensure that the Product Backlog is transparent, visible, and understood by everyone who needs to work on it.

An inventory of things to be done for the Product. The Product Backlog contains all the features, functions, requirements, enhancements, and fixes that constitute the changes to be made to the product in future releases. The Product Backlog items have a description, an order, an estimate, and a value.

Ordered based on priority, value, dependencies, and risk. The Product Owner orders the Product Backlog items based on various factors that affect their importance and urgency for the product. These may include customer needs, business value, stakeholder feedback, technical dependencies, or market opportunities.

Other options, such as an exhaustive list of upfront approved requirements to be implemented or only visible to the Product Owner and stakeholders, are not valid descriptions of a Product Backlog. They may reflect a misunderstanding of what a Product Backlog is or how Scrum works.