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Product Mastery: From Good To Great Product Ownership
Scrum is the most successful framework for agile product development and much has been written about how to follow the Scrum process but the key to success is in the leadership skills of the product owner.
Product Mastery explores the traits of the best product owners offering an insight into the difference between good and great product ownership and explaining how the best product owners are DRIVEN to be successful.
In a follow up to the hugely successful Scrum Mastery, Geoff Watts shares more enlightening case studies on how to be:
Decisive with incomplete information.
Ruthless about maximizing value and minimizing risk.
Informed about your product’s domain.
Versatile in your leadership style.
Empowering of project stakeholders.
Negotiable while you pursue your vision.
This is essential reading for anyone involved in an agile product development effort.
Geoff Watts has been a thought leader in the agile development space for many years and his books, training and coaching have helped thousands of teams across the world deliver better products more effectively.
Geoff is the author of Scrum Mastery: From Good to Great Servant-Leadership and The Coach’s Casebook: Mastering The Twelve Traits That Trap Us, a winner of the 2016 International Book Awards.
"Product Mastery is a great book to read if you want to understand how a great Product Owner works. Whether you are hiring a Product Owner or want to be a great Product Owner, the insights that Geoff Watts shares in this book should be your guide."
--Jeff Sutherland, Co-Creator of Scrum and author of Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice The Work in Half the Time
“Geoff has done a great job at distilling the soft skills product owners need to succeed. His new book is packed with practical advice to advance your skills and become a truly great product owner.”
– Roman Pichler, Author of Strategize and Agile Product Management with Scrum.
Product Mastery explores the traits of the best product owners offering an insight into the difference between good and great product ownership and explaining how the best product owners are DRIVEN to be successful.
In a follow up to the hugely successful Scrum Mastery, Geoff Watts shares more enlightening case studies on how to be:
Decisive with incomplete information.
Ruthless about maximizing value and minimizing risk.
Informed about your product’s domain.
Versatile in your leadership style.
Empowering of project stakeholders.
Negotiable while you pursue your vision.
This is essential reading for anyone involved in an agile product development effort.
Geoff Watts has been a thought leader in the agile development space for many years and his books, training and coaching have helped thousands of teams across the world deliver better products more effectively.
Geoff is the author of Scrum Mastery: From Good to Great Servant-Leadership and The Coach’s Casebook: Mastering The Twelve Traits That Trap Us, a winner of the 2016 International Book Awards.
"Product Mastery is a great book to read if you want to understand how a great Product Owner works. Whether you are hiring a Product Owner or want to be a great Product Owner, the insights that Geoff Watts shares in this book should be your guide."
--Jeff Sutherland, Co-Creator of Scrum and author of Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice The Work in Half the Time
“Geoff has done a great job at distilling the soft skills product owners need to succeed. His new book is packed with practical advice to advance your skills and become a truly great product owner.”
– Roman Pichler, Author of Strategize and Agile Product Management with Scrum.
288 pages, Paperback
Published February 2, 2017
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586 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
June 29, 2023
Why I gave it only 3 stars - even though it's a fairly good book: it's expectations vs reality. The title of the book lead me to believe we will discuss how to build great products (product mastery), so I was expecting learning on the topic, but the book delivered more on how to become a great Product Owner / Manager. It's focused mostly on the human part, PO skills and how you can be a great PO. Now from this point of view the book is great, but because I expected to focus on building products, not on the person building the products, I scored it lower than it deserves (should it have the right title I suppose).
May 16, 2018
Very good read for me as a junior product owner. The differentiation of good to great product owners are very helpful. For further spoilers of my take-aways from the book, please check: http://thatvoiceinsidemyhead.com/prod...
January 5, 2022
Value for money
9/10
Year, Price, Pages, Cover design
2017 by Inspect & Adapt Ltd; EUR 18,99; 287 pages (The content itself 267 pages; Appendix 3 pages; Acknowledgments 2 pages; References 5 pages: Index 5 pages); Paperback
Edited by Rebecca Traeger; Design and illustrations by Ole H. Størksen
5 sentences about the book
The author presents very concrete possible scenarios and desired behaviours for beginners. At the same time, it is a great source of basic knowledge for advanced product managers who have been doing their job automatically for a while now and are willing to remind themselves of the reason behind their actions. It is an excellent choice in terms of “value for money”
Decisive — willing and able to make decisions with incomplete information, and to allow others to make decisions too
Ruthless — maintaining a relentless drive to maximize value and minimise risk while staging focused on the vision
Informed — cultivating a voracious appetite to know the most possible about your product’s domain while being prepared to act with incomplete information
Versatile — being responsive to changing circumstances, both in terms of product development techniques and also leadership style
Empowering — create a sense of shared ownership amongst all stakeholders and bring people along with you on the journey
Negotiable — having faith in one’s vision while also being open to feedback and change (21)
In each chapter containing two sections, the author depicts a particular situation or context. In the background of everyday life, he is able to recognize and distinguish between good and great product owners’ behaviour and so provide a perspective not only on what should be done correctly but even better.
What did I learn?
- I found the chapter about the decision-making process most useful for two reasons that are overlooked and suppressed in daily life:
- I love Geoff agnostic approach to pick up prioritisation strategy based on the context and so be able to decide accordingly
- The product owner is a part of the product team and very often certain decisions rely on expertise given by his/her teammates
- Ruthless: remember “No” means “Not now” — how many conflicts and misunderstandings would we avoid when translating “No” this way?
- Informed: recognize and reduce bias via research and searching for data. The art of asking questions and listening can be mastered daily, for instance, using simple techniques to play back what you heard rather than immediately shooting your own opinion.
- Negotiable: Choose an iterative approach instead of trying to get the product perfect for the first time
What was missing?
- I missed the stories when the author is mixing decisiveness, ruthless, informed, versatile, empowering and negotiable together and so tune and balance them according to the context. For instance, I missed stories where ruthless vs versatile approaches are mixed together. Here are the author’s definitions of
ruthless: “Ruthless refers to the idea that product owners cannot allow sentiment to undermine what is best for the product, the organisation, the users and the customers. As such, great product owners understand the need to mercilessly reject certain features and even products, at least for now, in favour of those that are more valuable” 65
versatile: “Great product owners are also driven to be flexible and versatile, able to adapt in a volatile environment. Great product owners strive to be self-assured without being dogmatic or inflexible; they realize that they can never know everything and are open to changing course based on feedback. New information or data” 145
It could be challenging for someone (especially for a beginner) to be a ruthless and versatile product owner at the same time. In my experience, only practice (and by that I mean “trial & error” mode) will teach you how to tune your ruthless/versatile approach in the given context. When your decisions are driven by data and by taking into consideration the expertise of teammates and stakeholders, you are more (or less) ruthless and less (or more) versatile in a given specific situation. In my understanding, Ruthless & Versatile are like Bass & Treble frequency spectrum in your product hi-fi management amplifier.
Favorite quotes
.“But how do agile product owners decide which product and which feature is the most important? Most often, product owners try to make these decisions based on which features provide the most value. However, value is often subjective and can be an elusive thing to define. Numerous prioritisation strategies exist, with no ‘one size fits all’ approach. As such, great product owners tend to adapt their prioritization strategy to the context they are currently facing, with the goal of maximising value and reducing risk as early as possible”. 40
.“Many product owners who left their perfectionist trait get out of hand to fall into the trap of trying to get the product perfect all at once, the first time. They are unable to make the tough call required to deliver iteratively and are therefore unable to use feedback and learning to allow the perfect product to emerge over time”. 251
9/10
Year, Price, Pages, Cover design
2017 by Inspect & Adapt Ltd; EUR 18,99; 287 pages (The content itself 267 pages; Appendix 3 pages; Acknowledgments 2 pages; References 5 pages: Index 5 pages); Paperback
Edited by Rebecca Traeger; Design and illustrations by Ole H. Størksen
5 sentences about the book
The author presents very concrete possible scenarios and desired behaviours for beginners. At the same time, it is a great source of basic knowledge for advanced product managers who have been doing their job automatically for a while now and are willing to remind themselves of the reason behind their actions. It is an excellent choice in terms of “value for money”
Decisive — willing and able to make decisions with incomplete information, and to allow others to make decisions too
Ruthless — maintaining a relentless drive to maximize value and minimise risk while staging focused on the vision
Informed — cultivating a voracious appetite to know the most possible about your product’s domain while being prepared to act with incomplete information
Versatile — being responsive to changing circumstances, both in terms of product development techniques and also leadership style
Empowering — create a sense of shared ownership amongst all stakeholders and bring people along with you on the journey
Negotiable — having faith in one’s vision while also being open to feedback and change (21)
In each chapter containing two sections, the author depicts a particular situation or context. In the background of everyday life, he is able to recognize and distinguish between good and great product owners’ behaviour and so provide a perspective not only on what should be done correctly but even better.
What did I learn?
- I found the chapter about the decision-making process most useful for two reasons that are overlooked and suppressed in daily life:
- I love Geoff agnostic approach to pick up prioritisation strategy based on the context and so be able to decide accordingly
- The product owner is a part of the product team and very often certain decisions rely on expertise given by his/her teammates
- Ruthless: remember “No” means “Not now” — how many conflicts and misunderstandings would we avoid when translating “No” this way?
- Informed: recognize and reduce bias via research and searching for data. The art of asking questions and listening can be mastered daily, for instance, using simple techniques to play back what you heard rather than immediately shooting your own opinion.
- Negotiable: Choose an iterative approach instead of trying to get the product perfect for the first time
What was missing?
- I missed the stories when the author is mixing decisiveness, ruthless, informed, versatile, empowering and negotiable together and so tune and balance them according to the context. For instance, I missed stories where ruthless vs versatile approaches are mixed together. Here are the author’s definitions of
ruthless: “Ruthless refers to the idea that product owners cannot allow sentiment to undermine what is best for the product, the organisation, the users and the customers. As such, great product owners understand the need to mercilessly reject certain features and even products, at least for now, in favour of those that are more valuable” 65
versatile: “Great product owners are also driven to be flexible and versatile, able to adapt in a volatile environment. Great product owners strive to be self-assured without being dogmatic or inflexible; they realize that they can never know everything and are open to changing course based on feedback. New information or data” 145
It could be challenging for someone (especially for a beginner) to be a ruthless and versatile product owner at the same time. In my experience, only practice (and by that I mean “trial & error” mode) will teach you how to tune your ruthless/versatile approach in the given context. When your decisions are driven by data and by taking into consideration the expertise of teammates and stakeholders, you are more (or less) ruthless and less (or more) versatile in a given specific situation. In my understanding, Ruthless & Versatile are like Bass & Treble frequency spectrum in your product hi-fi management amplifier.
Favorite quotes
.“But how do agile product owners decide which product and which feature is the most important? Most often, product owners try to make these decisions based on which features provide the most value. However, value is often subjective and can be an elusive thing to define. Numerous prioritisation strategies exist, with no ‘one size fits all’ approach. As such, great product owners tend to adapt their prioritization strategy to the context they are currently facing, with the goal of maximising value and reducing risk as early as possible”. 40
.“Many product owners who left their perfectionist trait get out of hand to fall into the trap of trying to get the product perfect all at once, the first time. They are unable to make the tough call required to deliver iteratively and are therefore unable to use feedback and learning to allow the perfect product to emerge over time”. 251
August 29, 2018
In spite of some solid advise for product managers, this is ultimately a scrum book. It focuses on the role of the scrum Product Owner, at the exclusion of product management in general. Fortunately, there are books which have more to say on this topic.
It could have benefited by defining terms, starting with first principles and discussing how Product fits into organisations.
It reinforced my reservations of scrum, as a process concerned primarily with delivery and not discovery. My feeling is that this focus on delivery and prioritization results in local optimization at the expense of flow, to borrow from Eliyahu Goldratt. This was emphasized by the discussion of prioritizing features. Everything I've learned so far suggests that we should instead be prioritizing objectives. I'm may be naive, but I'm of the impression that a smarter approach is to choose the smallest amount of work that will allow us to learn how to achieve our objectives. And, that this negates the need to prioritize customer driven feature lists. Certainly more emphasis could be placed on discovery.
It could have benefited by defining terms, starting with first principles and discussing how Product fits into organisations.
It reinforced my reservations of scrum, as a process concerned primarily with delivery and not discovery. My feeling is that this focus on delivery and prioritization results in local optimization at the expense of flow, to borrow from Eliyahu Goldratt. This was emphasized by the discussion of prioritizing features. Everything I've learned so far suggests that we should instead be prioritizing objectives. I'm may be naive, but I'm of the impression that a smarter approach is to choose the smallest amount of work that will allow us to learn how to achieve our objectives. And, that this negates the need to prioritize customer driven feature lists. Certainly more emphasis could be placed on discovery.
March 24, 2019
It's a fairly nice book, describing pretty well how one should approach work of a Product Ownership. Book focuses nicely on some typical problems and misconceptions related to this role, and leverages a lot of dillemas a typical PO will sooner or later will face. It's not that good as Scrum Mastery, but I would also recommend it as a mustread lecture to anyone who is aspiring to do any Agile process well, and especially all Product Owners, Product Managers, Scrum Masters and all other Managers.
November 24, 2019
Great read and resource for prospective and seasoned POs.
Outlines the traits of great product ownership. Also gives you tools and methodologies to take it to the next level.
The best product owners are DRIVEN to be successful...
Decisive with incomplete information.
Ruthless about maximizing value and minimizing risk.
Informed in your product’s domain.
Versatile in your leadership style.
Empowering ... of project stakeholders.
Negotiable ... while you pursue your vision.
Outlines the traits of great product ownership. Also gives you tools and methodologies to take it to the next level.
The best product owners are DRIVEN to be successful...
Decisive with incomplete information.
Ruthless about maximizing value and minimizing risk.
Informed in your product’s domain.
Versatile in your leadership style.
Empowering ... of project stakeholders.
Negotiable ... while you pursue your vision.
July 24, 2022
After reading Team Mastery: From Good to Great Agile Teamwork by Geoff Watts, I had to read his take on Product Mastery.
Whilst there weren't as many illustrations this time, the book did not disappoint, with helpful guidance and relevant examples on how to apply the theory.
A highly recommended read if you are a DRIVEN product manager.
Whilst there weren't as many illustrations this time, the book did not disappoint, with helpful guidance and relevant examples on how to apply the theory.
A highly recommended read if you are a DRIVEN product manager.
May 3, 2018
If you want to become a more DRIVEN product Owner this is a great book. Using examples for helping the reader understand better what is the purpose of everything. Is a must have for those who believe the difference in our products is in the way we do the things rather the product itself. The product will be the result of our way of doing it!
Love the book!!
Love the book!!
September 18, 2020
I would recommend to any Product Owner or aspiring Product Owner. Possibly more valuable to those starting off on their journey, however, even more experienced POs should still find some valuable tidbits, particularly related to things like difficult conversations. These insights could be helpful to any team member - not only Product Owners.
March 21, 2022
More of a 3.5-4 star, i listened to the book before re-starting work and finished shortly after i started. It achieved its goal in preparing me to enter the mindset, served as reminder for vocabulary and I extracted some good practical ideas from few chapters. I also liked the real-life examples (presented as role-play). I recommend it for listening or skim through.
November 14, 2019
A good concise summary of Product Management, narrated well and with good stories and anecdotes to go with a simple articulation of the essence of product management. The importance of the human aspects as a critical success factor and how to make that work come through well.
March 26, 2023
Awesome book - a must-read for everyone working with products. - if you are a product owner or scrum master you should read this to understand how to make your product and teams successful. Well written Geoff!
May 18, 2023
Interesting traits and good stories to showcase them. The selection of these DRIVEN traits among all the ones relevant for product managers is not explained (or how it fits into a more holistic picture)
March 10, 2019
Very good intro book for POs
Author covers several of the PO life situations and provides tactics to cope with them. A good introductory book for anyone doing PO/PM job
Author covers several of the PO life situations and provides tactics to cope with them. A good introductory book for anyone doing PO/PM job
October 20, 2019
Good book recommended for everyone who is new to the product owner or scrum master role
August 9, 2020
The stuff you already know but need to be told sometimes because you don't always do what you should.
March 3, 2021
Decent read but not a huge amount of takeaways.
November 17, 2021
A great book, I really like the way it is written and the examples. It's quite pragmatic
January 3, 2022
A guide with fundamentals to became a great Product Owner.
July 3, 2023
The mastery books by Geoff Watts are required reading in my opinion. This is cover to cover packed with practical insight that would be invaluable to any Product Owner.
April 12, 2020
Another masterpiece from Geoff!! Not as great as the 'Scrum Mastery'... However it's still a Must read! I enjoy the simplicity and the style of his writing... Good vs Great! I found the first half of the book more exciting than the second half!
March 22, 2018
One of the best books I've ever read! :D
December 14, 2020
A fantastic book with a lot of tips and techniques for real-life situations! Highly recommended for product owners at any level!
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews