For many Product Owners, it’s a daily reality: a constant stream of requests, ideas, and ‘urgent’ features from stakeholders, clients, and sales teams. The temptation to say ‘yes’ to everything is strong, as an attempt to keep everyone happy. The true art of effective product ownership lies not in accepting every request, though, but in strategically saying ‘no’.
We spoke with Ian Droogmans, our experienced PO, about this specific skill. According to him, a ‘no’ isn’t a rejection but rather a ‘guardian of value’. It’s a tool to maintain focus, protect the product vision, and verify the development team works on what truly matters.
So, how do you turn a potentially confrontational moment into a constructive conversation? Ian shares several powerful insights.
A flat ‘no’ almost always leads to resistance. The key is to understand the question behind the question. Ian emphasises the power of the ‘Five Whys’-technique. By repeatedly asking why a stakeholder wants something, you’re actually delving into the root of the problem.
Here’s a classic example:
Granted, this situation only required 3 Whys, but you get the gist. Suddenly, the solution appears to no longer be a complex export function, but a simple display of the monthly total on a dashboard.
So, by saying ‘no’ to the original request and digging for the underlying need by asking ‘why’, you arrive at a much more efficient and valuable solution.
Gut feeling is a poor guide in product development. To support your ‘no’, you need evidence. Ian is a strong advocate for the ‘smoke test’: a method for validating interest in a feature before a single line of code is written.
His team once received a request for an extensive dashboard. Instead of building it, they created a non-functional mock-up within the application; a simple page that looked like a dashboard but didn’t work yet. Then, they measured the interactions. The result? Almost no one clicked on it.
The data spoke for itself: the idea, which sounded great on paper, was not a priority for users in practice. Therefore, the ‘no’ was no longer a PO’s subjective decision but a logical conclusion based on facts. The client completely understood and accepted the rejection.
A PO constantly balances the desires of different stakeholders. Sales wants a feature to land a new client, legal demands a change due to new legislation, and the business proclaims to have spotted a golden opportunity. Unfortunately, you can’t do everything at once.
If this is something you struggle with, formal prioritisation methods can help. Ian mentions Weighted Shortest Job First (WSJF) as a powerful framework, alongside alternatives like a Value-Effort Matrix or MoSCoW (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won’t have). Those methods force you to weigh a feature’s value (e.g. revenue, user impact, risk reduction) against cost (development time).
In this context, a ‘no’ is rather a ‘not now’. By prioritising transparently, you can explain why feature A is taking precedence over feature B, building understanding and trust along the way.
How you communicate a ‘no’ is at least as important as the reason behind it. If you ask Ian, understanding your audience is essential.
The goal is not to ‘win the argument’ but to collaborate on the best outcome and to maintain their trust.
The ability to say ‘no’ is what separates a good Product Owner from a great one. It’s not a sign of negativity but one of leadership, focus, and a deep understanding of value.
By digging for the ‘why’, backing your decision with data, and strategically prioritising, you can transform your ‘no’ from a stop sign into a starting pistol for innovation. You’re protecting the team, the product, and ultimately the stakeholders from waste, making sure that every cent that is invested delivers the maximum return.
That’s the true art of the craft.
In need of this kind of expertise yourself? Be sure to reach out; we’re happy to help.
With thanks to Ian Droogmans for sharing his valuable insights.