CASE: In-depth coaching program for Product Owners at ONVZ

ONVZ is evolving rapidly as a premier health insurance company. It has to be in this highly competitive market. Agility is therefore of great importance to properly meet the needs of the market and the customer. This is where an Agile way of working fits in. ONVZ has already made great strides in the Agile transition. But of course there are still steps to take.

An important role in this agility, as well as in providing focus, have the Product Owners (PO). This is certainly not an easy task. That is why we started a Product Owner Master Track for the 8 POs of ONVZ. A coaching program in which you really have to roll up your sleeves! Among other things, this leads to a new way of planning and making roadmaps based on measurable results.

The situation: from IT to market and customer value

ONVZ sees that the role of Product Owner is becoming increasingly crucial for a successful Agile organization. This is because the PO has traditionally focused primarily on IT, but now needs to focus on more aspects. That’s why the health insurance company wants to invest in the skills of its Product Owners. So that they learn to focus on market and customer value. And work hard on product vision and leadership. Because integrality is becoming more and more extensive. That’s why ONVZ’s 8 POs are embarking on an in-depth coaching program.

The assignment: coach our Product Owners so they are even better prepared

ONVZ asked Scrum Academy to start an in-company Product Owner Master Track. Within this coaching track, the Product Owners should become more proficient in working with a product vision, steering for value and showing leadership.

The Product Owner Master Track from Scrum Academy

The coaching program for ONVZ ‘s Product Owners is spread over several months, with emphases according to participants’ preferences. In 12 half-day sessions, the coaches of Scrum Academy provide concrete tools to develop the characteristics of successful Product Ownership. Between the sessions there is always enough space to immediately put into practice what was learned. Individual mentoring also takes place between sessions. Because every Product Owner has different struggles, questions, learning moments and challenges.

The topics we cover include:

• Product vision
• Objectives and metrics
• Portfolio Management, Roadmapping and Forecasting
• Stakeholder management & involvement

and of course also…

• Prioritizing and saying no
• Design Thinking
• Lean experimentation
• Leadership for POs

The result: a new revolution within ONVZ

The program really gave the Product Owners a lot of new energy and tools. During the program it also became clear that it was time for the Product Owners of ONVZ to adopt a new way of working. The mission became to steer as Product Owners on the basis of measurable added value. With clear objectives per quarter and focus based on customer insights. By setting these objectives with the team and presenting them to management, the Product Owners also received a greater mandate. This created more mutual trust and more room for proper discussions and decisions. Overall, the Product Owners are now stronger together, with all their new knowledge!

“This PO Master Track gives us as Product Owners the opportunity to grow as a group, and because we do this together we now have the same tooling and practical tips at our disposal to help our organization move forward. In addition, it is nice to be able to discuss practical examples from our own company and get advice on them and work them out together” – Inge van Elteren, Product Owner ONVZ

Want to know if a Product Owner Master track is for you? Get in touch!

We are happy to make a customized proposal with which we can work together with the Product Owners of your organization. Of course, we do this with the necessary customization and provide a coaching program tailored to your specific challenges. So please contact us.

Do you want to invest in yourself as Product Owner and take the next step? Then you can also participate individually in the Master Track that we organize several times a year from our Scrum Academy in Amsterdam.