How Poor Product Owners Guarantee Failure
Mismanaged development teams and ineffective product ownership are a recipe for disaster, especially in the DoD and large defense contractors. When boundaries are blurred and expectations aren’t managed, the outcome is predictable: 1) unusable products, 2) missed deadlines, and 3) blown budgets.
For new product owners or managers, veteran Josh Jordan simplifies the dilemma:
“You have three levers: Quality, Time, and Cost. You can only pull two.”
Attempting to pull all three inevitably leads to failure. While this principle seems simple, the execution is filled with nuances, requiring deep scrum mastery and experience. But here’s the good news: failure is not inevitable. Let’s explore each lever combination:
1. Pull Quality and Time Levers
When feature-rich, user-centric quality and a strict deadline are non-negotiable, cost must be flexible. If you demand a high-quality product by a specific date, you must be prepared to spend what it takes—this means hiring the right talent, increasing resources, and prioritizing speed. Cost cannot be fixed because you’re scaling up to meet quality and time demands.
2. Pull Quality and Cost Levers
When product quality and budget are fixed, patience becomes the critical factor. Achieving ambitious feature sets with a capped budget requires a longer timeline. Rushing the process or pushing for early delivery will likely compromise quality. Time becomes the flexible lever—accept that delays may happen, and focus on ensuring the final product meets your quality standards.
3. Pull Time and Cost Levers
If meeting a deadline within a set budget is your primary objective, quality must adapt. This approach typically leads to trade-offs in features or usability. You may have to cut less critical features or simplify functionality to deliver on time and within budget. Quality becomes the variable—and that’s often where frustration sets in, especially for stakeholders expecting a polished product.
The Bottom Line
The most skilled product owners know which two levers to pull—and when to pull them. Instead of trying to balance all three, they focus on realistic goals, communicate clearly with stakeholders, and prioritize user feedback throughout development. By embracing these trade-offs, you can ensure projects don’t just meet deadlines or budgets but actually deliver value.
