I am working on a question regarding supporting a large agile program consisting of multiple cross-functional teams. The scenario mentions that communication is breaking down between the product owners of the different squads. What is the primary action a project manager should take? Is it more important to facilitate a scrum-of-scrums, or should I focus on streamlining the backlog across all teams? This feels like a classic PMI-ACP situational question that I keep getting wrong.
The primary action is to facilitate alignment on the product vision and dependency management to ensure a unified strategy across squads before implementing tactical communication rituals.
2 answers
Stop looking for a magic bullet. If you are getting PMI-ACP questions wrong, it is because you are trying to guess a specific meeting rather than identifying the root cause. In these scenarios, communication breakdown between Product Owners is rarely a logistics issue that a Scrum-of-Scrums will fix. A Scrum-of-Scrums is a tactical synchronization mechanism, not a conflict resolution tool for misaligned product priorities.
You must address the alignment of the product vision first. If your POs are not talking, your backlog is likely fragmented, leading to dependencies and conflicting priorities that no meeting will resolve. Your primary action is to facilitate alignment on the product roadmap and dependencies. Once there is a shared understanding of the value stream, the communication processes fall into place. Focus on:
- Identifying systemic misalignment in the overarching product vision.
- Addressing how dependencies are being managed across squad boundaries.
- Establishing a clear hierarchy of product goals that forces POs to work toward a unified increment.
Do not just start scheduling meetings. If you do not have a cohesive backlog that reflects cross-team dependencies, you are just hosting a meeting for people to complain about how their backlogs do not talk to each other. Fix the structure before you try to fix the process.
I appreciate the insight, Faith. Honestly, I was hoping for a quick meeting-based fix because the exam logic is so exhausting, but focusing on the product vision seems like the only way out of this.
I have seen this movie a hundred times. Everyone rushes to suggest a Scrum-of-Scrums because it sounds official, but dragging a bunch of frustrated Product Owners into a recurring status meeting without a shared goal is just a recipe for more attrition. You are asking whether to fix the meeting structure or the backlog. The answer is neither, or rather, both at once, but only after you diagnose the disconnect.
If you are taking the PMI-ACP exam, remember that the Project Manager acts as a servant leader and facilitator. The question is testing whether you understand that you should address the root cause of the breakdown. If POs are not talking, it is usually because they are working in silos with competing goals. Your role is not to impose a meeting on them but to facilitate a session where they define their interdependencies. Streamlining the backlog is the output of that conversation, not the precursor to it. If you force a backlog change without consensus, they will just ignore it. Facilitate the conversation that forces them to see how their work impacts the rest of the system. Once they own the dependency, they will actually show up to the Scrum-of-Scrums. Until then, you are just shouting into the void.
That is such a helpful breakdown, Faith. I have been stressing over these exam questions, but thinking about the product vision instead of just the meetings makes much more sense. I am checking my notes now.