Investigating the role of Product Owner in Scrum teams: Differentiation between organisational and individual impacts and opportunities

The role of the Product Owner in agile software development is critical being accountable for maximising the value, although becoming proficient in this role is a complex process. The Product Owner’s responsibilities vary between different industries. The literature has not fully explained the role of a Product Owner. We shed light on the factors that influence the role at levels of organisation, team, stakeholder, and the individual. We conduct a systematic literature review in combination with a focus group consisting of practitioners to better understand the problem and to address the persistent gaps in theory and practice. Rather than exposing generic competencies associated with the role of Product Owner, our findings show that the role is tailored to fit the unique organisational context, including at the team level, and involves managing the organisational environment, including the institutional culture and politics. We also find an inherent tension arising from the fact that although the role of Product Owner is affected by the organisational level, the performance of the role is strongly influenced by attributes at the individual level. In particular, the individual’s ability to establish and manage networks and relationships within the organisation is mediated by his or her communication skills. •This research provide a new view on the Product Owner role in Scrum Teams.•The PO role extends into a meta-role as plentitudes of obligations and dimensions.•The role is stretched out between organisational, team/stakeholder and individual levels.•This paper suggests formative processes as critical in the Product Owner driven by tailoring and context.•Determinants of the formative process are presented and the balance discussed.