A Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product that is the result of the work of the Scrum Team. Which of the following can be delegated to others, while the Product Owner…

Question

Options

• AAttending the Sprint Retrospective.
• BAttending the Sprint Review.
• COrdering Product Backlog items.
• DDeveloping and communicating the Product Goal.

Explanation

Based on the 2020 Scrum Guide, the correct answers are C and D.

The Scrum Guide explicitly states that the Product Owner is accountable for ordering the Product Backlog (C) and developing and communicating the Product Goal (D), then immediately follows with: "The Product Owner may do the above work or may delegate the responsibility to others. Regardless, the Product Owner remains accountable." This is the key passage - delegation is permitted for these specific accountabilities, but ownership stays with the PO.

A (Sprint Retrospective) and B (Sprint Review) are wrong because attending Scrum events is not classified as "work" the PO can delegate - the PO is a Scrum Team member whose presence at these events is expected. The Scrum Guide does not include event attendance in its list of delegable PO responsibilities; only the four Product Backlog-related accountabilities appear in that delegable list.

Memory tip: Think of the acronym DOGS - Develop Product Goal, Order Backlog, Get Backlog items written, ensure transparency - these are the four PO accountabilities the Scrum Guide says can be delegated. Anything outside that list (like showing up to Scrum events) is not mentioned as delegable.

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