8.6 Limiting bureaucracy

8.6 Limiting bureaucracy

The PO must not be seen as a heavy, bureaucratic apparatus that exists in opposition to agile methodologies and skunk work approaches—quite the contrary. The PO creates the environment for those approaches to work efficiently and consistently across many projects. The PO is there to support the projects with specialized knowledge, to guarantee that the funding and resources are in place when needed, that the project priorities remain current and their scope under control. The PO is not there to bog down the system with requests for progress reports or to be involved in the day-to-day affairs of the projects.

By the clever use of information technology and the empowerment of project managers, the PO should be able to function with very few personnel.