Product Qualities Approach, Agile Style


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Product Qualities Approach, Agile Style

Ryan Shriver

February 1, 2010





In many agile organizations, the product owner is responsible for setting the team’s priorities through the product backlog. Whether they want enhancements to in-house systems or shrink-wrapped products, product owners get input from customers and stakeholders to create product backlogs of prioritized features (or user stories). These backlogs contain functionality that can be estimated by developers and planned for releases.
While there’s nothing wrong with this approach of functions-first planning, I have come to believe it’s short-sighted in that it doesn’t place product qualities on equal pairing with functions. Currently in the agile community, there’s a tendency to focus too quickly on user-centric functionality instead of product qualities that can deliver real stakeholder value, often very quickly. Product owners who understand and leverage product qualities cannot only delight customers, but also help them achieve their organization’s business objectives.
This article provides a how-to for progressive change agents interested in delivering products that generate measurable business value for their customers and stakeholders.



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