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%
$145,062
TOTAL 50%
$158,838
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)
Defines the concepts, components, and methodologies used in software engineering.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Follows established guidelines and standards when carrying out basic software maintenance tasks.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Operates complex quality assurance tools to test and evaluate software products before deployment.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Directs the implementation of testing procedures to improve the usability of software products.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Designs and builds news software engineering tools to drive efficiency in operations.
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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)
Describes the features and functions of agile tools in facilitating the effective execution of methodology.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Assists management in identifying communication and resource problems that can hinder deployment processes.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Implements lean agile methodologies to help create end products that meet end user expectations.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Facilitates team meetings to gain insights on ways to maintain and improve agile methodology practices.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Creates guidelines for addressing issues and challenges affecting agile methodologies' effectiveness.
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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)
Explains the advantages and disadvantages of DevOps implementation.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Identifies defects and tracks bugs to ensure continuous operations of the software development lifecycle.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Evaluates each release automation and generate reports to improve future releases.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Monitors and alerts the team about the impact and risk of DevOps changes.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Develops automated security and compliance capabilities in support of DevOps 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 different purposes and uses of our organization's budgets.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Produces budget reports showing planned vs. actual variances highlighted and explained.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Reviews and helps approve major budget adjustments to negotiate and reconcile line variances.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Monitors budgeting processes to ensure adherence to our organization's financial practices and standards.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Forecasts asset needs to leverage available inventory and data compilation for annual budgeting.
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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)
Explains the importance of planning and organization in building a good working environment.
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Level 2 Behaviors
(Light Experience)
Identifies key implications of ineffective planning and organization that affects decision-making.
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Level 3 Behaviors
(Moderate Experience)
Leverages key performance indicators to measure progress completion against performance metrics.
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Level 4 Behaviors
(Extensive Experience)
Manages the planning and sequencing of activities to create well-planned schedules and achieve goals on time.
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Level 5 Behaviors
(Mastery)
Establishes standards for planning and organization processes to align efforts with business goals.
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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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