Product Owner Anti-Patterns, From Team Owner to Product Owner, And The PO Who Got It Right

Summary

Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast (Mar 13, 2026)

Episode Title: Product Owner Anti-Patterns, From Team Owner to Product Owner, And The PO Who Got It Right
Host: Vasco Duarte
Guest: Junaid Shaikh, Agile Coach

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Overview

This episode focuses on the critical role of the Product Owner (PO) in Scrum teams, specifically highlighting common anti-patterns as well as the traits of exceptional POs. Through real-life anecdotes and coaching insights, guest Junaid Shaikh shares first-hand experiences with both problematic and exemplary product owners, offering actionable advice for Scrum Masters looking to foster better collaboration and agile practices.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The "Team Owner" Anti-Pattern (01:22–04:01)

• Common PO Anti-Pattern:
  Many product owners unconsciously revert to old habits from past roles, acting more as team managers or project managers rather than true Product Owners.

  • Junaid: “I always ask them, ‘What is your role?’ … You own the product, you are the owner of the product, not the owner of the team.” (02:07)

• Symptoms of the Anti-Pattern:

  • Micromanaging team processes and even non-work aspects, such as holiday approval.
  • Overly controlling the backlog and assigning tasks directly to team members.
  • Dictating task estimates and arguing with developers about effort.

• Real-Life Example:
  A PO who insisted on approving every detail: process changes, tools, task assignments, even holidays.

  • Junaid: “In sprint planning I observed that he was like, ‘Okay, this story, Mr. X, you take it…’ Not just the backlog, controlling so much, command and control… it was completely anti-agile.” (03:28)

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Coaching Product Owners out of Anti-Patterns (04:01–06:39)

• Coaching Approach:

  • Start by observing and making notes rather than immediate confrontation.
  • Build trust with both PO and team by offering concrete help and solving smaller issues.
  • Gradually introduce agile basics, then use coaching conversations to address anti-patterns.
  • Seek incremental improvement (10–15% at a time), aiming for significant change over months.

• Junaid’s Methodology:

  • "Once you gain that trust, then you can start having the coaching... Slowly and steadily I start coaching.” (05:20)
  • "If you confront or say something… not so nice in a larger meeting, they usually would not accept you long-term. So first build that trust, then slowly start teaching and coaching them.” (06:19)

• Host Insight:

  • Vasco highlights the importance of listening: “If they don’t want help, you can’t help them. So listening is a very important part of the work that we do.” (06:39)

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Traits of Great Product Owners (07:13–12:12)

• Positive Example:
  Junaid describes working with an outstanding PO and attributes their effectiveness to several key qualities:

  • Clear, concise communication: Keeps the team aligned and reduces pressure.
  • Openness to Coaching: Willingness to learn and accept Scrum Master support.
  • Humility (Ego-free): Avoids knowledge superiority, open to new approaches.
  • Transparency: Uses a single source of truth for backlog and plans—no scattered information.
    • Notable Story: PO initially managed five sources of information (Excel, whiteboard, Jira, etc.). Junaid coached him towards consolidation and transparency.
    • Quote: “Do you think having five sources of truth, you’re being transparent to the team?... How can we merge all of this and have one tool?” (09:21)
    • Junaid’s Memorable Line: “Sorry, I cannot do the push-ups for you. You have to do the push-ups for yourself. But I can coach you.” (10:03), which Vasco immediately wants to adopt (10:07).

• Other Qualities Noted:

  • Prioritization skills: Focuses on what’s most valuable.
  • Courage: Has the strength to say “no” when necessary to keep priorities sharp.
  • Delegates the “how”: Clearly defines what needs to be done, leaves how to the team.
    • Junaid: “Trusting the team, clear communication, saying no when needed, having good prioritization skills… I think these are all the things that I saw in that PO.” (11:32)

• Impact:

  • The team thrived with better tool adoption and ownership.
  • Junaid uses this PO as a positive example when coaching others: “…if it worked for him, at least you can give it a try and it might work for you as well.” (12:00)

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Notable Quotes

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | 02:07 | Junaid | “You own the product, you are the owner of the product, not the owner of the team, right?” | | 03:28 | Junaid | “In sprint planning… ‘Okay, this story, Mr. X, you take it…’ Not just the backlog, controlling so much… it was completely anti-agile.” | | 05:20 | Junaid | “Once you gain that trust, then you can start having the coaching... Slowly and steadily I start coaching.” | | 06:39 | Vasco | “If they don’t want help, you can’t help them. So listening is a very important part of the work that we do.” | | 10:03 | Junaid | “Sorry, I cannot do the push-ups for you. You have to do the push-ups for yourself. But I can coach you.” | | 11:32 | Junaid | “Trusting the team, clear communication, saying no when needed, having good prioritization skills… I think these are all the things that I saw in that PO.” |

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:22] — Introduction to PO anti-patterns
• [02:07] — The "Team Owner" anti-pattern explained
• [03:28] — Real-life micromanaging PO example
• [04:27] — Coaching strategies for change
• [07:13] — Traits of the best Product Owners
• [09:21] — Transparency and sources of truth
• [10:03] — Memorable “push-ups” coaching metaphor
• [11:32] — Summarizing great PO qualities

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Tone and Takeaways

The conversation is candid, packed with both humility and pragmatic insights. Junaid speaks from deep experience, with Vasco guiding the discussion towards clear, actionable knowledge for Scrum Masters. Listeners are equipped with both cautionary tales and uplifting stories, along with tangible methods for supporting Product Owners in their agile journey.

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Connect with Junaid Shaikh

• LinkedIn: [Junaid Shaikh LinkedIn](link to be provided in show notes)
• Junaid welcomes questions and experience-sharing: “As a Coach… I am also responsible for the community at large. If anyone… wants some sounding board or sharing some information, I’m always available.” (12:36)

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Conclusion

This episode empowers Scrum Masters to recognize and tactfully address common Product Owner anti-patterns, and highlights the characteristics of truly effective POs. Junaid's stories and strategies provide a roadmap for gradual improvement, trust-building, and leadership within agile teams.

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Compiled by the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast summarizer — helping you improve your craft, one episode at a time.

Transcript

[A]

Hey there, Agile adventurer, just a quick question.

[B]

What if, for the price of a

[A]

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[B]

Hello everybody. Welcome to our TGIF and product owner episode this week with Junaid Shaikh. Hey Junaid, welcome back.

[C]

Hello Vasco. Thank you.

[B]

It's a pleasure to have you back for of course, the last episode of this week. But it's a great episode about the product owner role, one of the critical roles in the whole Scrum framework. And we'll talk about what great product owners do in a minute. But before that, share with us. Junette, what was potentially the worst product owner anti pattern you've witnessed in your career?

[C]

Yeah, I think the community would relate to me. I mean there are not a lot of variations in these patterns. It's some of those common patterns that the product owner still is working as a team manager or a project manager based on his or her past experience. So I mean I always, whenever I have the first conversations with product owners, I ask them and I see this pattern of, you know, controlling command and control, project management, team management. I ask them a question, what is your role? They say, product owner. I said, exactly. So you own the product, you are the owner of the product, not the owner of the team, right? And then they say, yeah, you're right. I say if you have, if you had to be a owner of the team, then we would have called you a project manager or a team manager, but you are being called as a product owner. So you own the product, not the team and the anti patterns. There was once a product owner who was so possessive of his team that he wanted an approval on every small thing that the team wanted to try or wanted to do, right from processes Tools to even ask him for holidays. The backlog for example, used to control the backlog so tightly. I understand. But then in the sprint planning I observed that he was like okay, this story, Mr. X, you take it. This story, Ms. Y, you take it. So not just the backlog, not just the backlog, controlling so much, you know, the command and control, like I've been saying so and also estimating it. So he said this should take four days for you. And if the person used to say I think it will take some time. So then there was counter arguments. Why do you think it will take so much time? I don't think so because I have worked on it before. I was also a developer, I know it and it was completely, you know, anti agile.

[B]

Let's say when you think about this kind of perspective that certain product owners show up with, what do you think we could do as Scrum Masters in that situation? You already gave us an idea, right? Like just ask him what, what is the name of your role or something like that. Yeah but, but these days when this kind of anti patterns, how do you usually go about it?

[C]

I have a different style and every Scrum master, every agile coach have a different style, right? My style is I would not have a conflict right at the start. I usually go in, I just observe. Even if there's a big anti pattern, I don't say it. I make my notes and then I try to build trust with the product owner and the team by, you know, solving a smaller impediment or in, or demonstrating that, you know, I can be of help. So once you demonstrate that the product owner starts having more trust in you, I mean this goes with everyone, you know, they, they need to first realize that you are there to help. And once you gain that trust then you can start having the coaching. You bring in your coaching tools, right? You start having one to one conversations with them. And the first few steps that I do is I teach. So I bring back the basics of Agile like you know, this is what Agile is, this is what the basics are and this is what the toner role is. And then slowly and steadily I start coaching. Like you remember, this is what Agile says and this has been the anti pattern that we have been observing in our meetings. We don't do it this way, but Agile says you should do it this way. So again I don't go for big bang. I always target 10 to 15% of improvement in anything that I want to at the start. Once that slowly starts seeping in, then if you look back you know, six months from where you started, you have already achieved like 30, 40% of an improvement there. So that is my approach whenever I work with a product owner, because these guys, you know, the product owners usually have a lot of good business understanding, lot of experience, and if you confront or, you know, say something to them not so nice in a larger meeting, they usually would not accept you for a longer term. So first, build that trust, demonstrate that you are there to help, and then slowly start teaching and coaching them.

[B]

I really like that. Build trust by demonstrating that you are there to help. And of course, that means that we need to hear what they want help with, because if they don't want help, you can't help them. So listening is a very important part of the work that we do. Of course, Jeannette, of course there aren't only bad product owners, there's also amazing product owners out there, and we want to know about one of those that you work with. So share with us potentially the best product owner you've ever worked with. How did they work?

[C]

Yeah, and I've been lucky enough to have a lot of good fortuners that I've worked with in my journey. So I would call them great pos, you know, that makes the job the scrum master so easy and so comforting that, you know, you feel like, okay, I don't want to leave this team, but those are the teams that need you the least. Yeah. So if so, 1. I could recollect one product owner, he was so good at communicating with the team. Clear, concise communication. So I think the first important quality that I, that I had in that PO was communication. If as a product owner, you're not able to communicate the right thing in the right way at the right moment to the team, the team feels the pressure. So having clear communication is very important. The second most important thing I think is the open mindset. Openness to be able to coach. You know, you cannot coach someone who does not want to be coached. So having that mindset that, you know, okay, there is a scrum master who is there to help me understanding, who understands the scrum master role. So having that open mindset to continuously improve. Third thing is not having that ego that, you know, I have been here for 20 years and 25 years in this organization, and I know everything in and out. You're just new to. To this role. So now you will tell me how should I work? That ego is a big barrier for. For improvement that demonstrates a lots of. A lot of closed mindset. So, you know, having the Readiness to adapt and learn new things is. Is very important. This Scrum master, this product owner, for example, when I joined this team, they. He had five source of truths. Five source of truth for information. He had an Excel with five tabs, he had a whiteboard, he had Jira, he had other areas. And I was like, wow, how do you accumulate all of this information? It's like, no, I have to do it. And I was like, okay, how do you share this information with the team? I go with all five. I said, sorry again. Coming back to the basics, what are the three pillars of Scrum? Transparency. So do you think having five source of truth, you're being transparent to the team? Then we said, okay, how can we merge all of this and have one tool? Like if you have Jira, I don't think so. You need anything else. You can do everything in there. So he said, okay, help me. How can I do it? I said, sorry, I cannot do the push ups for you. You have to do the push ups for yourself.

[B]

That's a great way to put it. I can't do the push ups for you.

[C]

I should.

[B]

I should steal that phrase.

[C]

Exactly. So you have to do the push ups, but I can coach you. I can be there at your side and tell you how you do it. Because that's also an anti pattern. The product owners always say, oh, you are the Scrum master. You should be the one solving this problem for us. Sorry, like I said, I cannot do the push ups for you. So then we slowly and steadily analyzed everything and then we merged everything in one tool. And then the team was really happy. They didn't have to take care of other tools. He was happy because then he was able to manage the product pack looks so much better. So this product owner also had really good prioritization skills and the courage. You know, one of the Scrum values is also courage. You know, the courage to say no when needed. I. I see that, you know, then he had to say no. And then he came back to the same guys, we have 10 things to do, but these are the top three or five priorities that you, I want you to focus on. You go and decide how you will convert this into reality. But this is the what from my side. This product owner had really good prioritization skills. He had the courage to say no. And he had the trust in the team to just define the what and leave the how to them and not venture into the how part. A lot of not good product owners, they ventured into the how part as well. That's That's a big anti pattern. So, yeah, trusting the team, clear communication, saying no when needed, having good prioritization skills. I think these are all the things that I saw in that PO and I use his example to some of the POs that I that are not up there. Like, you know, this guy, he did it like this and because a lot of times people say, but will that work? I said it worked for him. If it worked for him, at least you can give a try and it might work for you as well.

[B]

Yeah, absolutely, Absolutely. And it's a great example that now we've shared with the community. So hopefully many people will use that example with their POS and even share this episode with the pos. Why not?

[C]

Absolutely.

[B]

Jeanette, it's been a pleasure. Thank you for being here with us. Before we go though, let's talk about where we can find you and learn more about the work that you're doing.

[C]

Yes, I think I am available on LinkedIn. That's the best source for me, for anyone to connect. And as a Coach, I'm not ScrumMaster. I'm not only dedicated to my teams, I am also responsible for the community at large. So if anyone at any point in time wants some sounding board or sharing some information, I'm always available. You can find, I think, Vasco, I shared my LinkedIn profile with you. If you, if you would like, please share it with the community.

[B]

Absolutely. We'll put the link in the show notes so that everybody can go to LinkedIn and send Junette a message, ask a question, or share an experience because this is how we learn as a community. So, Junaid, thank you very much for my part, for your generosity with your time and your knowledge.

[C]

Thank you so much, Vaska, for organizing this. Really crisp and clear questions and really insightful and pragmatic. You know, I would say more importantly, pragmatic that is needed, that are needed in this sort of time. So thank you for having me here. It was a pleasure.

[A]

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[B]

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