The Product Owner role is a new concept for most organizations that are switching to Agile Project Methodology. Nonetheless, the demand for a Product Owner continues to grow daily. Organizations are looking for product owners with great customer experience, business acumen, market orientation, technical skills, and soft skills. If you are looking to change your career and become a scrum professional, this guide on ‘How to Become a Product Owner?’ will help you land a meaningful position.
In the mid-1990s, Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber designed a modern methodology known as Scrum. Scrum is a lightweight agile project management framework. It works by breaking down large products and services into small pieces that can be completed by a cross-functional team in a short timeframe. Scrum framework provided three roles: Scrum Master, Development Team, and the Product Owner. Thus, the concept of product owner came into existence.
So, who exactly is a product owner?
A Product Owner is an individual responsible for maximizing the product’s value created by the development team. They are at the core of every product development lifecycle The most important tasks of a Product Owner include:
You’ll be most likely to find Product Owners at companies that implement the agile approach to develop digital products.
Driven by changes in how software is developed, the growing importance of data, the evolution of product development practices, the scope of product owners is expanding. Organizations are looking for product owners with great customer experience, business acumen, market orientation, technical skills, and soft skills.
According to the report created by the World Economic Forum, the product owner is one of the most emerging jobs in the product development domain. The market for Product Owners is quite competitive in terms of salary as well. Actually, the demand is higher than the availability of qualified professionals. Did you know that a Scrum Product Owner makes an average of $55.4 an hour? That's $115,355 a year!
With relevant skills, certifications, and job experience, organizations are willing to pay generously for professionals who can prove their knowledge and skills involving product ownership and Scrum practices. Sounds appealing right? So, how do you become a product owner?
Here’s an overview of how to become a product owner in few simple steps:
The growth of the product owner role is deeply connected to the Scrum framework, which exists in an Agile environment. So, it is important to keep your foundation strong. It is always important to keep your foundation strong. Familiarize yourself with the fundamental concepts of the Scrum framework and develop a thorough understanding of what the thinking behind the agile framework is. There are a multitude of resources that you can refer to such as Agile Manifesto, and the eLearning series by ScrumAlliance to get your basics straight. You can also refer to the resources from the Invensis Learning blog site.
One of the first things to consider when trying for a product owner role is how much education you need. To become a PO, a bachelor's degree is generally required. However, some companies express a preference to individuals holding a master degree in a relevant major such as business administration.
Your journey to become a product owner is even more useful when you get a relevant certification. Obtaining your certification as a product owner demonstrates your understanding of the job and commitment to your career. Earning a certification has significant benefits such as professional growth, job security, new opportunities, and higher pay compared to untrained, non-certified counterparts. Though having a certification doesn’t reflect your real-world expertise, it shows your effort in gaining knowledge that makes you more effective.
There are several organizations that offer Scrum Product Owner Training and Certification programs, most of which are widely accepted and globally recognized. Here are some governing bodies that offer scrum product owner certifications:
To get certified from these governing bodies, there are a certain set of steps that you need to follow such as:
Please note that while these set of steps are similar for most of the scrum master certifications, they might vary for others. For example, at present, there is no exam for CSPO certification.
Most employers ask for a minimum of two years of experience as a product owner or related job roles (such as business analyst, product manager, product manager, etc.). So, if you are a fresher, apply for such roles and get started. If you are already a working professional and are considering becoming a product owner, it is always better to first get promoted internally (i.e within the company you are working for). Parallelly, sharpen your leadership skills, ability to make wise decisions in a short span of time, effective communication skills.
Apart from these, listed below are some tips that might increase the chances of you securing your dream product owner role:
Finally, ask yourself, what are important factors in being a great product owner? Clearly, the demand for this role is increasing. Therefore, if you are a suitable candidate, there are plenty of options for you out there. If all this talk has piqued your interest to become a Scrum Product Owner, Invensis Learning can help!
At Invensis Learning, we offer certification training for different Product Owner certification courses such as CSPO, PSPO, and ASPO. Through these programs, you will learn to think in terms of Scrum values and principles and learn how to help your Scrum team perform at the optimum level by making timely decisions. Besides that, the certification training will help you learn and understand the intricacies of the job role, and accelerates your journey in pursuing a career in the product management domain.
How do I enroll for training?
You can enroll for training by following below mentioned points:
Can I opt for a customized schedule other than what is mentioned on the website?
Yes, you can opt for a customized schedule which is not there on the website. But getting custom schedules will depend on few criteria mentioned below:
How much discount will I get if I enrol for training?
What is the certification that I will get after completing my training?
What will be included in my training?
Once you enroll for training from Invensis Learning, you will receive:
What is the refund amount I will get if I cancel my enrolment?
Please check out our refund policy page to know more if you cancel your enrolment.
Will the training be delivered in a native language if a participant choses to?
If I want to know more about a course, whom should I connect with?
Why should I enroll for CSPO Certification Training?
In today’s highly projectized business environment where anything and everything is a project, Agile has clearly picked up the ante from traditional waterfall methods to address enterprise transformation to meet market demands and stay ahead of the competition. With projects, key stakeholders will have their own vested interests that are in line with critical business objectives, and the Scrum Product Owner is one such key stakeholder whose responsibilities lie in creating a vision and conveying the same to the Scrum team.
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) is a globally-recognized certification for professionals who are comfortable with the business side of projects by creating a vision, product backlog, and monitoring the work of the development team. CSPOs are responsible for the product and ensure it satisfies the needs of all the stakeholders. In fact, Certified Product Owners are the most highly sought-after professionals globally, where Agile implementation is a key strategic objective for businesses worldwide.
How to Become a Certified Scrum Product Owner?
Currently, there is no test for CSPO certification. You can just follow the steps listed below to get Certified Scrum Product Owner certified:
What are the objectives of the CSPO Certification Course?
In this Certified Scrum Product Owner training, you will:
What are the prerequisites to take up the CSPO Certification training?
There are no prerequisites to attend the Certified Scrum Product Owner Certification training. However, it is beneficial to have some basic understanding of Scrum values, principles, and working knowledge of the overall Scrum process.
Who should take up this CSPO workshop?
This 2-day Certified Scrum Product Owner workshop is intended for candidates who are aiming to become a Product Owner. It is also highly valuable for other job roles involved with Scrum including:
Does the CSPO certificate expire? How to maintain CSPO credential?
To maintain your CSPO credential you can renew it every two years by obtaining 20 SEUs. The renewal fee is $100.
Is there any exam for CSPO certification?
Currently, there is no test for CSPO certification. You just need to complete your Certified Scrum Product Owner certification course successfully and get your official CSPO Certificate from Scrum Alliance.
Is Certified Scrum Product Owner certification training right for me?
If you are interested in the business side of the project, interested to enhance your skills and credibility to lead product development initiatives, and would like to be a part of Agile transformation, then the Product Owner certification is for you.
Can CSPO certification be done online?
Yes. At Invensis Learning, you can opt to take up this CSPO course in live-online delivery mode.
How much is the average salary of a Certified Scrum Product Owner?
According to PayScale, in the United States, the average salary of a Certified Scrum Product Owner is around $105,122.
Which is better? Scrum Master or Product Owner?
Firstly there are two different roles. Which is best for you depends on what you are interested in and the skill you possess. As a Scrum Master, Scrum values and principles and learn how to help your Scrum team perform at the optimum level. You will protect your team from external and internal impediments and guide them to successfully adopt the Scrum Framework. Whereas, as a Product Owner, you will develop a product vision, strategy, product backlog, and help the development team to successfully deliver a high-quality product at the right time.
Is a Certified Scrum Product Owner worth it?
Yes. After completing CSPO training, you will be eligible for the Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) certification from the Scrum Alliance. Firstly, you will get a certification, which is recognized globally, thus expanding the scope of job opportunities. Secondly, it is highly beneficial if you are aiming to apply in an organization that is practicing agile. It gives you an edge over other non-certified counterparts. Also, according to PayScale, the average salary of a certified product owner in the United States is $105,122.