The Scrum Guide is explicit that a single product has one Product Backlog, which serves as the single source of work. This ensures transparency and alignment across all development efforts. Furthermore, the guide defines the Product Owner as one person, not a committee, who is solely accountable for managing the Product Backlog and maximizing the product's value. When multiple Scrum Teams collaborate on one product, they share the same Product Goal, Product Backlog, and Product Owner. This unified structure is fundamental for maintaining a cohesive product vision and preventing the conflicting priorities that would arise from multiple backlogs or owners.

A. A separate Product Backlog for each team working on one product creates conflicting priorities, integration chaos, and a fragmented product.

D. Having multiple Product Owners for one product diffuses accountability and leads to a disjointed product vision and conflicting directions for the teams.

E. The "Chief Product Owner" is a construct from scaling frameworks, not a core Scrum role. The fundamental principle is one accountable Product Owner per product.

1. Schwaber

K.

& Sutherland

J. (2020). The Scrum Guide. Scrum.org.

On one Product Owner: "The Product Owner is one person

not a committee." (p. 5)

On one Product Backlog: "The Product Backlog is an emergent

ordered list of what is needed to improve the product. It is the single source of work undertaken by the Scrum Team." (p. 9)

On multiple teams

one product: "If Scrum Teams become too large

they should consider reorganizing into multiple cohesive Scrum Teams

each focused on the same product. Therefore

they should share the same Product Goal

Product Backlog

and Product Owner." (p. 6)

2. Maximini

D. (2015). The Scrum Culture: Introducing Agile Methods in Organizations. Springer International Publishing.

In the section on "The Product Owner

" the book emphasizes that for a product

there is "exactly one Product Backlog and therefore also exactly one Product Owner" to ensure a single point of decision-making and a clear product vision

even in scaled environments. (Chapter 4

p. 59) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-11827-7