Product Owner

What

A Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product and is accountable for effective Product Backlog management, which includes:

  • Developing and explicitly communicating the Product Goal;

  • Creating and clearly communicating Product Backlog items;

  • Ordering Product Backlog items; and,

  • Ensuring that the Product Backlog is transparent, visible and understood.

SUCCESS STORY

At a Big Four corporation for many years I was the go-to person for the local operational deployment of the global tool for documenting financial audits. In collaboration with local IT I made sure that the hosting server as wel as end user applications were tested and updated several times on a yearly basis and that all professionals in Audit were equipped with the right knowledge and procedures. As ‘Close-Out Manager’ I was responsible for securely archiving 7000+ audit files with my team, a labour intensive process constrained by strict statutory deadlines and discipline of Audit teams. Around 2015, envisioning that this process could be automated, I kicked into Product Owner ‘Entrepreneur’ mode and pitched the first idea globally to leverage existing server capabilities of closing out files directly online. What was needed was an interface for Audit teams to review their outstanding close-out tasks and the status of each, kickstart the close-out process. Upon completion, specified workbooks of the audit files would automatically be sorted into digital archive spaces as specified. On the Close-Out Team’s end, the interface would help track the automated process and intervene only in case of irregularities. What started as an operation of up to 18 Close-Out Team members handling files on up to five workstations simultaneously, ended up as a 1-2 person tracking the automated process. Given the go for this initiative I was able to gather the requirements from users at all levels (trainee to partner) and design the entire data structure, user interface and future process. In close collaboration with local IT who developed the back-end, we went live one year later. As of 2024 I am proud to report that the solution is still in production as an integral part of the primary financial auditing process, saving over 10.000 of hours on a yearly basis!

Why me

The above success story has proven my skills in the following areas: requirements engineering, backlog management and prioritization, development and execution documentation, user experience design, user interface design and usability, professional support services, budget planning, agile product development, product marketing, product growth management, and data analytics and insight. Secondary skills employed include communication and training.