Skills & Competencies for Scrum Product Owner

Scrum Product Owner job profile

JOB SUMMARY for Scrum Product Owner

Translates and communicates the product vision to Agile development teams utilizing the Scrum framework.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES for Scrum Product Owner

Collaborates with stakeholders to define product requirements into user stories and acceptance criteria and to produce a clearly defined backlog. Champions solutions and prioritizes requirements to deliver best value to the customer and the business. Acts as a bridge between stakeholders and development teams to remove roadblocks, resolve conflicts, and decide actions. Responsible for project budget oversight.

Scrum Product Owner SALARY RANGE

BASE 50%
$145,446
TOTAL 50%
$159,261
Job Level
M02
Job Code
IT10000603
Education/Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Reports To
Director

Scrum Product Owner Skills and Competencies List

Proficiency Levels and Behavioural Indicators
Salary.com identifies five increasing levels of proficiency for each skill/competency. Some jobs require only a relatively low level of proficiency in each skill/competency, while other jobs will require a more advanced level of proficiency in the same skill/competency. These levels rate the degree of proficiency (skill level, expertise) we expect the incumbent to perform in the given skill/competency for the given job. Note that we intentionally do not associate timeframes or years of experience in performing the skill/competency because that can be misleading. Proficiency levels identify what the incumbent knows and can do rather than how long they have been doing it. Also, note that the proficiency levels are cumulative, e.g., a level 4 proficiency implies the ability to perform all the behaviors at the lower levels.
Check each Scrum Product Owner skill and competencie below to view definitions.

4 hard skills or competencies (industry competencies) for Scrum Product Owner

1 Industry Competency – Software Engineering
Proficiency Level -2
Skill definition-Applying computer science and engineering principles, methods, and practices to design, develop, deploy, and maintain reliable software systems.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Explains the importance of using suitable programming languages and platforms in software engineering.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Prepares engineering documentation to ensure software adheres to user expectations.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Utilizes version control systems (VCS) to track and manage changes in software codes.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Evaluates and modifies existing development processes to optimize software production and reduce errors.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Develops optimization strategies to improve software product quality and usability.
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2 Industry Competency – Agile Methodologies
Proficiency Level -3
Skill definition-Knowledge of the concepts, values and benefits of various agile methodologies and ability to plan, organize, and monitor IT projects to ensure continuous improvement.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Explains the importance of flexibility in delivering effective agile methodologies.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Documents stakeholders' feedback to ensure quality and address potential concerns.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Researches new opportunities and tools to improve the effectiveness of agile methodologies.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Oversees communication channels to facilitate and enhance team correspondence and accountability.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Develops product backlogs using agile practices to provide prioritized work plans to development teams.
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3 Scrum Product Owner - Skill and Competency
Proficiency Level - 3
4 Skill and Competency - Scrum Product Owner
Proficiency Level - 4
5 Competency for - Scrum Product Owner
Proficiency Level - 5

4 general skills or competencies (Job family competencies) for Scrum Product Owner

1 Job Family Competencies – Agile Development
Proficiency Level -3
Skill definition-Managing software development projects by using a set of Agile methodologies, disciplines, practices, and techniques.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Explains the use of an Agile software development framework in product development processes.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Records all product backlogs to support the facilitation of backlog refinement sessions.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Utilizes agile design methodologies to accelerate the development of software solutions.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Monitors the product development cycle in compliance with Agile methodology principles.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Creates a system to assess the effectiveness of the Agile delivery model in our organization.
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2 Job Family Competencies – DevOps
Proficiency Level -3
Skill definition-Automating and integrating the efforts of IT operations and development teams to deliver software applications faster.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Lists down common DevOps tools and their functionalities.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Supports continuous integration and delivery to merge code changes frequently and incorporate end-to-end testing.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Partners with operational and development teams to bring DevOps software development methodologies to operations.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Provides coaching on best practices for DevOps culture enablement.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Promotes the adoption of emerging practices and tools in DevOps operations to increase performance and automation processes.
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3 Scrum Product Owner - Skill and Competency
Proficiency Level - 3
4 Skill and Competency - Scrum Product Owner
Proficiency Level - 4
5 Competency for - Scrum Product Owner
Proficiency Level - 5

12 soft skills or competencies (core competencies) for Scrum Product Owner

1 Core Competencies – Budgeting
Proficiency Level -2
Skill definition-Applying specific policies, tools and practices to plan and prepare projected revenues, expenses, cash flows, and capital expenditures.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Explains the importance of budget reporting and forecasting in our workplace.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Supplies supporting information and justification for major line items.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Utilizes software tools and applications to forecast our annual budget accurately.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Provides in-depth training to our entire organization about the zero based budgeting methodology.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Introduces technologies, policies, and programs for more effective budget management.
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2 Core Competencies – Planning and Organizing
Proficiency Level -3
Skill definition-Managing and prioritizing resources and workloads by creating well-organized plans to attain organizational goals and objectives.
Level 1 Behaviors
(General Familiarity)
Lists commonly used tools in workplace planning and organization.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Works with specific tools in prioritizing and allocating resources to ensure task accuracy.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Prepares schedules to plan, organize, and complete priorities promptly.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Sets short- and long-term objectives to organize team workload and improve efficiency.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Leads the development of new techniques and strategies to drive effective planning and organization.
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3 Scrum Product Owner - Skill and Competency
Proficiency Level - 3
4 Skill and Competency - Scrum Product Owner
Proficiency Level - 4
5 Competency for - Scrum Product Owner
Proficiency Level - 5

Summary of Scrum Product Owner skills and competencies

There are 4 hard skills for Scrum Product Owner, Software Engineering, Agile Methodologies, Agile Project Management, etc.
4 general skills for Scrum Product Owner, Agile Development, DevOps, Scrum, etc.
12 soft skills for Scrum Product Owner, Budgeting, Planning and Organizing, Coordination, etc.
While the list totals 20 distinct skills, it's important to note that not all are required to be mastered to the same degree. Some skills may only need a basic understanding, whereas others demand a higher level of expertise.
For instance, as a Scrum Product Owner, he or she needs to be proficient in Budgeting, be skilled in Planning and Organizing, and be skilled in Coordination.

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