Scrum has had an enormous positive impact on agile teamwork. For many (Biz)DevOps teams it proved to be invaluable for getting an initial agile practice off the ground. However, numerous teams fail to outgrow their initial practices, valuing processes and tools over individuals and interactions. The product owner role particularly is subject of criticism. The role is carried out with a process mindset, instead of an actual product mindset, contributing to the idea that Scrum is needlessly dogmatic, limiting teams in their potential.

In this session we will make the case for a product mindset in agile software development. We introduce a manifesto for a product mindset with principles that help teams establish product thinking over process thinking, and unlock their full potential.

We show how we have found a product mindset to be key for effective delivery in today’s rapidly-changing organizations and markets, and we hope to inspire you to embrace a product mindset yourself.

Henk van der Schuur is a leader in software product development. Currently, he delivers mission-critical (software) solutions at Schuberg Philis, a company with no managers and dedicated teams with