My Product Owner is brilliant at business logic but lacks a deep technical background. Our backlog is currently filled with vague stories like "Optimize Database" which the devs can't estimate. How can I bridge this gap during refinement without taking over the PO's role? I want to help them write better technical acceptance criteria that align with our architectural goals.
3 answers
I recommend the "Three Amigos" approach: bring the PO, a lead developer, and a QA member together for 30 minutes before the main refinement. As the SM, you facilitate by asking "What does success look like for this?" This helps the PO translate business value into "Definition of Done" criteria. In 2023, I helped a non-tech PO by using simple metaphors to explain API latency. Once the PO understands the "why," they can prioritize the "what" much more effectively with the team.
Melissa, do you find that the "Three Amigos" session sometimes becomes a "pre-refinement" that excludes the rest of the developers? How do you keep the whole team engaged later?
We started using a "Technical Spike" story for anything too vague. The devs spend a few hours investigating, then help the PO write the actual story for the next Sprint.
Spikes are essential! They remove the guesswork and help the PO understand the complexity before committing to a delivery timeline.
Kevin, the goal is to create a "draft" that makes the full session faster. We present the draft to the team, and they have the final say on the technical details. It prevents the team from sitting through a 2-hour session where the PO is just learning the basics of the stack