What is the product manager's role in agile ceremonies like planning, stand-ups, reviews and retrospectives?
What the interviewer wants to hear
- Planning: bring priorities, explain the why, agree a sprint goal
- Refinement: make sure items are clear and ready
- Stand-up: be available to unblock decisions, not manage people
- Review: show progress to stakeholders and gather feedback
- Retro: participate as a team member
Model answer
In sprint planning I bring a prioritised, refined backlog and explain why the top items matter, so the team can agree a sprint goal and decide how much they can take on. The team owns the estimate, not me. Before that, in refinement, I make sure stories are clear, with acceptance criteria and designs, and I answer questions or take them away to research. At stand-ups I mainly listen and help unblock product decisions quickly; it is not a status meeting for me. In sprint reviews I help show the work to stakeholders and collect feedback that may change priorities. In retrospectives I take part as a team member, sharing what worked and what did not in how I supported the team, for example unclear requirements or late changes.
Can you answer it under time pressure?
Take a timed easy round and get scored on every answer.
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