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Introduction

General information

This curriculum describes what participants can expect in the Advanced Product Owner training and what is part of the Advanced Product Owner certification exam.

Trainers are free to add additional elements to their trainings.

A training course designated as Advanced Product Owner training must, however, cover at least all the topics described in this curriculum.

Goal of Advanced Product Owner Curriculum

The Advanced Product Owner curriculum provides an open-source, framework-neutral training scheme with a corresponding certification.

The main goal of the Advanced Product Owner curriculum is to convey the interrelationships and interactions between methods and tools of agile product management. Participants should be enabled to assess the suitability of these tools and methods for their respective context and to apply them successfully.

Structure of Learning Objectives

The Advanced Product Owner curriculum distinguishes between three levels of competence and three kinds of ability. All three levels of competence are tested in the examination, one third each.

The three competence levels are

Competence Level 1 focuses on specific tools or methods related to the learning objective. At competence level 1, neither combinations of tools and methods nor their relations to the working context are relevant.

Competence Level 2 focuses on the relationships between two tools or methods and the relationship of a single tool or method to the working context.

Competence Level 3 focuses on relationships between more than two tools or methods and on the relationship of combinations of tools and methods to the working context.

The three kinds of abilities are

Knowing something is about facts and figures about a tool or method. The knowledge that may be assessed is, for example, about the elements that make up a tool or the phases of a methods. Knowledge about the history of methods or sources is not part of the examination.

Being aware of something is about being able to anticipate how a tool or method might be used. Anticipation is also relevant when deciding not to use a tool or method. In addition, being aware addresses the consequences of using different versions or templates of tools or methods and of combinations of tools and methods.

Being able to do something is about deciding about or applying tools and methods according to the working context. This can mean both that product owners apply the tools or methods themselves and that they let their team apply the tools or methods.

Out of Scope

This non-exhaustive out-of-scope list includes some topics that are related, but not part of the curriculum.

  • Frameworks like Scrum, LeSS, SAFe

  • Business strategy and portfolio management

  • Business analysis, requirements engineering and requirements management

  • Usability engineering and user experience design

  • Development and engineering practices

  • Deep dives into single methodologies

Preconditions

There are no formal prerequisites that participants need to meet in order to attend an Advanced Product Owner training.

It is recommended to have at least some basic experience in one of the following areas:

  • Product management

  • Project management

  • User experience and usability engineering

  • Business analysis

  • Requirements engineering and management

  • Product development

Design, Duration, and Didactic Methods

The curriculum is designed for a three day on-site or a three day online training.

The curriculum structure follows the connections between the tools and methodologies shown in the Advanced Product Owner Value Chain.

It is not goal of the curriculum to enforce trainers using specific methods for teaching. The didactic methods should focus on these connections. Therefore, the trainings usually consist of about 80% practical exercises and feedback on the results of these exercises.

1. Understanding Customers

1.1. Related Tools

1.2. Outcome

1.3. Learning Objectives

Competence Level 1

  • Participants are able to distinguish between customers and users

  • Participants are able to describe typical groups of customers and users as personas

Competence Level 2

  • Participants are aware of which aspects from personas are helpful or necessary for the creation of empathy maps

  • Participants are aware of which aspects of customers or users are relevant for the creation of empathy maps in their working context

  • Participants are able to decide which persona template best fits their work context or create a specific template for their working context

Competence Level 3

  • Participants are able to decide whether personas or empathy maps are useful in their working context

  • Participants are able to describe the trade-off of using or not using personas or empathy maps in their working context

  • Participants are aware of the lack of information when personas or empathy maps are not used in their working context

2. Defining a Business Model

2.1. Related Tools

2.2. Outcome

2.3. Learning Objectives

Competence Level 1

  • Participants know the 9 elements of the Business Model Canvas.

  • Participants know the 5 phases of the Business Model Canvas.

  • Participants know which tools and methods of the product owner value chain provide valuable feedback for the development of the business model.

Competence Level 2

  • Participants know at which layer of the product management vacuum model the business model applies.

Competence Level 3

  • Participants are able to decide which tools and methods provide valuable feedback for the business model in their working context.

3. Satisfying Customer Needs

3.1. Related Tools

3.2. Outcome

3.3. Learning Objectives

Competence Level 1

  • Participants know about the 2 perspectives of the Value Proposition Canvas

  • Participants know the 3 aspects of a value proposition

  • Participants know the 3 aspects of a customer segment

  • Participants are aware of the ideal path to fill out a Value Proposition Canvas

  • Participants are aware that potential gains for a customer segment are not consciously perceived by the customers

Competence Level 2

  • Participants know about the relation between the areas "customer jobs" and "products & services" in the Value Proposition Canvas to the areas "value proposition" and "customer segments" of the Business Model Canvas

  • Participants are able to decide whether or not to create different Value Proposition Canvases for different customer segments

  • Participants are able to decide for which customer segments a Value Proposition Canvas should be created in their working context

Competence Level 3

  • Participants are able to identify products and services for the value proposition that are related to the business model in their working context

  • Participants are able to distinguish the pain relievers from the gain creators in their working context

  • Participants are able to create value propositions for different customer segments based on empathy maps and business models in their working context

4. Measuring Value Creation

4.1. Related Tools

4.2. Outcome

4.3. Learning Objectives

Competence Level 1

  • Participants know the differences between leading and lagging indicators

  • Participants know the difference between the zone of results, the zone of action, and the zone of impact in the Value Model

Competence Level 2

  • Participants are aware of the gain or lack of information that results from the decision whether or not to use a Value Model in their working context

  • Participants are aware of the leading and lagging indicators in their working context

  • Participants are able to derive leading indicators from the value proposition and lagging indicators from the customer segment of the Value Proposition Canvas

Competence Level 3

  • Participants are able to identify the non-obvious leading and lagging indicators that cannot be derived from the Value Proposition Canvas in their working context

  • Participants are able to create a Value Model for their working context

  • Participants are able to use the Value Model as a tool in feedback loops

5. Understanding the Environment

5.1. Related Tools

5.2. Outcome

5.3. Learning Objectives

Competence Level 1

  • Participants know about the four circles of the Stakeholder Onion Diagrams

  • Participants know about the two dimensions of the power-interest grid

  • Participants know about the four quadrants of the power-interest grid

Competence Level 2

  • Participants are able to create and develop stakeholder maps for their working context

Competence Level 3

  • Participants are aware of the political dimensions of stakeholder mapping in their working context

6. Influencing the Environment

6.1. Related Tools

6.2. Outcome

6.3. Learning Objectives

Competence Level 1

  • Participants know about the 10 views of the Inception Deck

  • Participants are able to decide wether to use an elevator pitch or a product box as part of the Inception Deck

Competence Level 2

  • Participants are able to select the relevant stakeholders for the Inception Deck from the Stakeholder Map

  • Participants are able to decide which Value Proposition they want to use for the Inception Deck or how they want to combine different Value Propositions

  • Participants are aware of the relationship and the importance of the target audience in their working context

  • Participants are aware of the political side-effects of the Inception Deck in their working context

Competence Level 3

  • Participants are able to identify and manage the Feedback Loops from the Inception Deck pitches to the Value Proposition and the Business Model in their working context

7. Draft a Plan

7.1. Related Tools

7.2. Outcome

7.3. Learning Objectives

Competence Level 1

  • Participants know about the concept of a Goal-Oriented Roadmap

  • Participants are able to describe goals for the Goal-Oriented Roadmap

  • Participants are aware of the relationships and dependencies of goals

Competence Level 2

  • Participants are able of derive the goals from the Inception Deck

  • Participants are able of derive the goals and the corresponding metrics from the Value Model

  • Participants are aware of the difference and the relationship between deliverables and goals

Competence Level 3

  • Participants are aware of the Goal-Oriented Roadmap as a tool for drafting a plan not for measuring success

  • Participants are aware of the Goal-Oriented Roadmap as an intermediate tool for communication with stakeholders

8. Break Down the Results

8.1. Related Tools

8.2. Outcome

8.3. Learning Objectives

Competence Level 1

  • Participants know what an Impact Map is.

  • Participants know the elements of an Impact Map.

Competence Level 2

  • Participants are able to create an Impact Map based on a goal formulated in the goal-oriented roadmap.

  • Participants are able to select relevant stakeholders from a Stakeholder Onion Diagram as actors for an Impact Map.

Competence Level 3

  • Participants are able to create an Impact Map for their working context.

  • Participants are able to decide to what level of detail they describe the deliverables of the Impact Map in their working context.

9. Describe the Solution

9.1. Related Tools

9.2. Outcome

9.3. Learning Objectives

Competence Level 1

  • Participants know about the concepts of Story Maps, Backbone, and Walking Skeleton

  • Participants are able to use a Story Map for Release Planning

Competence Level 2

  • Participants are know how to work with different users in a Story Map

  • Participants are aware of the difference between the Walking Skeleton and a Minimum Viable product

  • Participants are able to create Story Maps for their working context

Competence Level 3

  • Participants are aware of the different ways to use the swim lanes of Story Maps and the effects in their working context

  • Participants are able to use Story Maps for near and far future planning

10. Prioritize Development Work

10.1. Related Tools

10.2. Outcome

10.3. Learning Objectives

Competence Level 1

  • Participants know the difference between a product backlog and a to-do list

  • Participants know the concept of the Product Backlog of options

  • Participants are aware of the consequences of having multiple backlogs for one product

  • Participants know the concept of real options

  • Participants know the 4 attributes of an option

Competence Level 2

  • Participants know about the connection between a Product Backlog and a Story Map

  • Participants are able to describe the different types of backlog items that occur in their working context

  • Participants are able to identify the leading indicators that a particular backlog item affects

  • Participants are aware of the difference between a prioritised, an ordered and an estimated Product Backlog and the impact of these different types of Product BacklogS in their working context

  • Participants are aware of the difference between tasks and options

Competence Level 3

  • Participants are able to decide whether or not they want to estimate the effort of Backlog items in their working context

  • Participants are able to decide whether or not to treat the Product Backlog as a Backlog of options in their working context

11. Build and Deliver

11.1. Related Tools

11.2. Outcome

11.3. Learning Objectives

Competence Level 1

  • Participants know how Kanban looks on processes

  • Participants know about Proto Kanban

  • Participants know the 7 cadences of Kanban

  • Participants know the Lead Time Distribution chart

  • Participants know the difference between a feedback-ready product increment and a delivery-ready product increment

Competence Level 2

  • Participants are aware of the abstraction level of Kanban and how to embed agile frameworks into the Kanban flow

  • Participants are able to define and develop the Kanban workflow for their working context

  • Participants are able to define the criteria for a product increment in their working context

Competence Level 3

  • Participants are able to use the Lead Time Distribution chart for planning with the Story Map and the Product Backlog in their working context

  • Participants are able to use the Lead Time Distribution chart for forecasting and defining Service Levels in their working context

12. Managing Feedback Loops

12.1. Related Tools

12.2. Outcome

12.3. Learning Objectives

Competence Level 1

  • Participants know how to describe experiments and tests

  • Participants know the five core elements of feedback loops

Competence Level 2

  • Participants know how to distinguish between experiments, tests, and feedback loops

  • Participants know how to distinguish between latency and cadence in feedback loops

  • Participants are able to define experiments and tests in their working context

  • Participants are able do distinguish between noise and valuable feedback

Competence Level 3

  • Participants are able to connect different tools to valuable feedback loops in their working context

  • Participants are able to describe feedback loops in their working context

  • Participants are able to apply feedback loops in their working context

List of Learning Objectives