Product Owner
The Product Owner is one person accountable for maximizing product value and for effective Product Backlog management. On the PSM I exam, the biggest traps are forgetting that the Product Owner orders the Product Backlog, remains accountable even when delegating work, and is the only person who can cancel a Sprint.
Part of the Scrum Guide chapter index. Read the canonical version inline in the app: Product Owner on app.prettyscrum.org.
Why this chapter matters for the PSM I exam
The Product Owner is one of the most-tested accountabilities on PSM I. The Guide is precise: one person, accountable for maximizing value, the sole decision-maker on Product Backlog ordering. Decisions can be influenced but not overruled.
Direct answer: what does the Product Owner do in Scrum?
The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team. That includes setting and communicating the Product Goal, creating and clarifying Product Backlog items, ordering the Product Backlog, and making sure the backlog is transparent and understood.
The Scrum Guide text
The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team. How this is done may vary widely across organizations, Scrum Teams, and individuals.
The Product Owner is also accountable for effective Product Backlog management, which includes:
- Developing and explicitly communicating the Product Goal;
- Creating and clearly communicating Product Backlog items;
- Ordering Product Backlog items; and,
- Ensuring that the Product Backlog is transparent, visible and understood.
The Product Owner may do the above work or may delegate the responsibility to others. Regardless, the Product Owner remains accountable.
For Product Owners to succeed, the entire organization must respect their decisions. These decisions are visible in the content and ordering of the Product Backlog, and through the inspectable Increment at the Sprint Review.
The Product Owner is one person, not a committee. The Product Owner may represent the needs of many stakeholders in the Product Backlog. Those wanting to change the Product Backlog can do so by trying to convince the Product Owner.
Source: 2020 Scrum Guide by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland, © CC BY-SA 4.0. License.
Key points to remember
- One person, not a committee.
- Accountable for maximizing product value.
- Orders the Product Backlog.
- Develops and explicitly communicates the Product Goal.
- Can delegate work but remains accountable.
- Only the Product Owner can cancel a Sprint.
Common exam trap
The Product Owner orders the Product Backlog. That wording matters. The Scrum Master does not order it, the Developers do not order it, and stakeholders do not overrule it. On exam questions, answers that weaken the Product Owner’s authority are usually wrong.
PSM I question pattern to watch
Look for trick answers that turn the Product Owner into a committee, a project manager, or a proxy for stakeholder voting. Scrum makes the accountability very clear: one Product Owner, one ordered Product Backlog, one accountable decision-maker.
Practice this chapter
Then reinforce it with the PSM I sample questions and the adaptive practice test.
Related chapters
Or jump back to the Scrum Guide chapter index or the PSM I hub.
Author: Maurice Heinze (PSM I, certified by Scrum.org). Last updated: 2026-06-05. Scrum Guide content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.