The Product Owner is one person
The Product Owner is one person, not a committee. They may represent the needs of many stakeholders in the Product Backlog, and anyone wanting to change the Backlog can do so by trying to convince the Product Owner.
Why it is like this
A single point of decision is what makes the Product Backlog an ordered list rather than a negotiated truce. Ordering by committee produces a list where everything is first.
Not to be confused with
A proxy who collects requirements. The Guide gives the Product Owner accountability for maximising the value of the product, and says the whole organisation must respect their decisions — decisions visible in the content and ordering of the Product Backlog.
In practice
A "Product Owner team" that votes on priorities has not scaled the role; it has removed it, and the Developers are back to guessing which stakeholder to believe.
Source: The Scrum Guide, November 2020 (Schwaber & Sutherland) — Product Owner. Read on .
The Scrum Guide is published by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland under CC BY-SA 4.0. These cards are independent commentary written in our own words, not a derivative of the Guide's text. ytyk.org is not affiliated with, endorsed by or licensed by Scrum.org, Scrum Alliance or the Guide's authors.
Odd one out Check yourself
Three of these are the Product Owner's accountability in the Guide. Which is not?
Show the answer
Accepting or rejecting each item at the Sprint Review
There is no acceptance ceremony in the Guide. An item is done when it meets the Definition of Done; the Sprint Review is a working session with stakeholders, not a sign-off gate.