We have a problem. Ok, I have a problem. I’m realizing velocity is often being used as a synonym for team capacity. In fact, I’ve done it, too. Don’t think that’s a problem? Well it impacts our forecasting, estimation, team health, and organizational expectations.

I define velocity as the amount of new work we can deliver in a given sprint against a product roadmap (i.e. new features,…

Strategies for product owner across multiple teams (with different products)

A product owner should be dedicated to one team. Or no more than two teams working on the same product with the same product backlog. But what about a product owner who we spread across two teams with different backlogs working on different products? We’re asking them to be two people and it’s not sustainable! This product owner told me he was in 17 hours of meetings between the two teams per…