As we head rapidly into the holiday season, taking vacation to celebrate with family and friends is bound to occur. For most, it is a time to relax and reflect on what to be thankful for, accompanied by turkey (or tofurkey for the meat-conscious) and cranberry sauce. For others, it can be a hectic time of delegating responsibility and tying up loose ends. Not so for this product owner! The following are 3 golden rules I follow before vacationing to keep the holidays happy and the hectic at bay.
#1 – Give someone the executive power!
Since the product owner makes the decisions, it is important to appoint someone else to make all of these choices. I usually pick someone who has a similar mindset when it comes to the product and prioritizing customer issues. That way, even if I don’t make the decisions, the outcomes are usually the way I would have wanted them.
#2 – Plan ahead, but don’t plan too much.
One of the luxuries of being a Scrum product owner, is that Scrum is a system that adapts well to change. If the unexpected happens (as it frequently does), having well-defined stories, a prioritized backlog, and someone with the decision-making power, goes a long way. Rather than plan for every possibility (because we all know that polar bear is going to destroy the server room), I put together some loose guidelines for my substitute and then let it rest in their hands.
#3 – Set your e-mail status to “away” and enjoy your vacation
Set it and forget it. Be confident in the people you’ve entrusted the decision-making power to, and go enjoy your holiday, starting with reading this Scrum-related comic.
Would love to hear how other product owners handle their task list to prep for vacation! Give us a shoutout in the comments section below.
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