The role of Product Owner in an Agile ecosystem is more important than what many people think, especially for companies providing Agile software development services. The Product Owner is an integral part of an Agile team responsible for assuring quality for the digital products. They basically define user stories, and aid the team in prioritizing backlogs while maintaining the integrity of the development cycle. 

Let’s explore the role of the product owner in detail.

In an Agile ecosystem

Most IT companies in Dubai have adopted Agile to keep up with changing times. This subsequently led to increasing demand for product owners. They are critical when it comes to quality control and are tasked with accepting user stories as done. 

Regardless of the industry, if the organization lacks a qualified Product Owner, chances are that the development process would end up becoming a chaotic mess which most likely will fail to meet deadlines or might deliver functionalities that weren’t actually needed. Essentially, they serve as the middleman between stakeholders and the development team. 

In software development projects

The main areas of responsibility for Product Owners (PO) in software development projects include:

Creating and maintaining backlogs: The world of software development is dynamic and subject to continuous changes and advancements. A PO is responsible for adapting the Product Backlog depending on the changes, and according to client needs and market requirements. They need to be capable of creating and maintaining backlogs with ideas that are more likely and feasible to get realized i.e. they will have to reject features that may delay a project and mess up the development plan. 

Prioritizing backlog according to ROI or business value: The user stories should be categorized based on their importance, which would make it easier for the team to prioritize. The product owner handles this responsibility as well while taking into account the development effort and feasibility of adding features. For instance, some features cannot be developed before doing some other tasks, which a product owner will consider while prioritizing.

• Relaying the goals of each user stories to the team: The Product Owner also plays a role in keeping the team on track. They start by writing user stories first defining the objectives and benefits. This helps them visualize how the product should be from the customer’s point of view. During every sprints, they can convey this vision and the current goals to the team in the presence of stakeholders, thus providing clarity to the team and increasing the likelihood of the product’s success. In the software development UAE industry which only recently started effectively leveraging Agile methodologies, the product owner can do wonders. 
  
• Engaging customers & stakeholders: Contrary to popular beliefs, it’s not just the development that should be constantly engaging with customers to craft the product accurately. That’s also a PO’s responsibility. They speak on behalf of the team to ensure that the product gets the support it requires to succeed. In their reports to customers and stakeholders, they also include cost limitations, deadline completion dates, memory limits etc. 
  
• QA & ROI: PO is typically the only member of the team responsible for accepting user stories as done. They validate whether a story met the acceptance criteria. The PO also is responsible when it comes to providing the best ROI i.e. they are involved with responsible economic decision-making. 
  
• Timely delivery: Finally, the PO of the software company in Dubai also makes sure that the product is delivered on time, meeting the deadlines and goals.