Cognitive Load And The Product Owner

A recent publication by Jürgen De Smet and Viktor Grgic on Cognitive load and the recent Org Topologies course I followed got me reflecting on my role as a Product Owner/Product Manager. We often focus on the cognitive load of development teams, but it’s crucial to consider our own too. As Product Owners, we handle a lot—from talking to stakeholders and prioritizing backlogs to keeping the team aligned with the product vision. We, too, should be managing our cognitive load better, in order to support our teams more effectively and make the whole product development process smoother.

Managing Complexity in Feature Development

When new features start crossing boundaries of technical ownership, the complexity of managing this often falls on the Product Owner or Product Manager. This responsibility can become very broad, encompassing tasks such as seeking alignment between teams, splitting the work across them, tracking progress of the different parts, and creating a release plan. This is often too much for any one person to handle, leading to the need for additional resources or the creation of new roles to address specific issues, as Jürgen De Smet discusses in his YouTube video on how organisations go nuts.

The creators of Org Topologies, Alexey Krivitsky and Roland Flemm, provide a valuable way to visualize where this kind of complexity impacts us. Their illustrations of the Type 1 (Pre-agile) [Resource Topology] and Type 2 (First agile wave) [Delivery Topology] ecosystems clearly show how these complexities emerge and affect team dynamics in the form of projects.

Embracing Business Agility

Working as a Product Owner in a Type 3 ecosystem [Adaptive Topology] focused on business agility is a whole different experience. The key idea here is a ‘Team of Teams’ with fluid ownership. It can be shared ownership, but it doesn’t have to be. With a ‘Team of Teams,’ you don’t have to worry about who owns what. Instead of managing how work is divided, you collaborate with the ‘Team of Teams,’ and they take care of that complexity.

→ The three topologies

This means as a Product Owner, you switch contexts less when working with the teams, since it’s now a unified effort. Additionally, you tap into the collective wisdom of the group when addressing a problem, rather than figuring it out on your own.

Instead of managing team details, a Product Owner or Product Manager can now focus on strategic planning, engaging with key stakeholders, interacting with customers, fostering innovation, mentoring team members, among other things.

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Hover over or tap any text on the drawing to read it.Tap any text on the drawing to read it.

Managing Cognitive Load Effectively

As a Product Owner or Product Manager, cognitive load can be high at times. You need to know a lot about a lot of things: the product, your market, technical details, your stakeholders, etc. As cognitive load theory indicates, the problem is that it takes time and repetition to learn all these things. Make sure to take your time for this, don’t overreach. And don’t keep this all to yourself. Your team will not be able to catch up fast if you keep them out of the loop for too long.

Avoid the mistake of trying to figure out everything by yourself. Involve your team when they have more knowledge, especially when they are actively working on a particular feature. Don’t hesitate to challenge those who are competing for your time and attention. Always align tasks with your strategy and product vision. If something doesn’t fit, let others convince you of its value first. Consider the initial steps to validate an idea rather than fleshing it out completely.

Finally, transparency is your best friend. Ensure your backlog and roadmap are open and clear to everyone. Prefer frequent, smaller updates over large, infrequent ones. It’s okay to repeat key messages to ensure they stick. One effective method is to invite stakeholders to your Sprint Review and make it as interactive as possible. Involve the teams and encourage stakeholders to provide direct feedback. Remember, it’s about inspecting and adapting, not just giving a status update.

Empowering Teams for Better Outcomes

Working in Type 3 ecosystems [Adaptive Topology], where you uplift and empower your teams, is not only more enjoyable but also highly effective. These environments foster collaboration and shared ownership, allowing you to focus on strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and fostering innovation. Don’t be afraid to trust your teams—they have the knowledge and capability to manage their tasks effectively. This will also have a positive impact on your cognitive load.

Additionally, as a Product Owner, considering organizational design is often overlooked but very important. Understanding and influencing how your organization is structured can significantly impact your team’s efficiency and your own cognitive load. By involving your team, maintaining transparency, and aligning tasks with your product vision, you can create a more productive and satisfying work environment for everyone involved. Embrace the ‘Team of Teams’ approach and encourage continuous improvement and adaptation.