What should I, as a Software Developer do when the product owner asks us to do her job, which involves BA work instead of coding? [closed]

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Our backlog ran dry and the one thing left, was this data-modeling task which involves dealing with huge excel spreadsheets and talking to various stakeholders every day. Neither the team, nor the product owner fully understand what that spread sheet is all about or who exactly the stakeholders are.



What we do know, is that they have a bunch of spreadsheets that need to be filled out. However, the 3 developers on the team are frontend developers. What are we supposed to do? Should we simply do what the PO tells us or should we complain to upper management about the PO letting the backlog run dry and failing to effectively use her resources?



Update: We have a BA / FA on the team and some of us feel that he simply handed off his job to the developers.







share|improve this question













closed as off-topic by Jim G., gnat, Lilienthal♦, Chris E, IDrinkandIKnowThings Jul 12 '16 at 20:02


This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave these specific reasons:


  • "Questions asking for advice on what to do are not practical answerable questions (e.g. "what job should I take?", or "what skills should I learn?"). Questions should get answers explaining why and how to make a decision, not advice on what to do. For more information, click here." – Lilienthal, IDrinkandIKnowThings

  • "Real questions have answers. Rather than explaining why your situation is terrible, or why your boss/coworker makes you unhappy, explain what you want to do to make it better. For more information, click here." – Jim G., gnat, Chris E

If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.








  • 10




    How did it get into your backlog if even the product owner does not understand? Delete it.
    – Stephan Bijzitter
    Jul 7 '16 at 14:04










  • The PO tells us that understanding it is the goal of this sprint. She put a huge visio document containing lots of colors and raw data. We are supposed to figure out what data belongs where and what they are all about. I'm not sure if we should do what she says, ask for more resources or tell the management that the PO is not competent.
    – Divyanth Jayaraj
    Jul 7 '16 at 14:17






  • 3




    It is a bit of a stretch to characterize that incompetent. If you do go to upper management you might want to tone down the message.
    – paparazzo
    Jul 7 '16 at 14:22






  • 3




    I started programming because I was a graphic designer and I had no idea what fell into my job description and what didn't. Part of it was I was young and inexperienced, but part is because it was the 90s and the lines weren't clear. Along the way, I've done my share of BA work, technical writing, instructional design, and, of course, graphics and animation. I think all of this makes me a better programmer and a more well-rounded developer.
    – Amy Blankenship
    Jul 7 '16 at 15:25






  • 5




    It might be useful to define the acronyms explicitly, for people (like me) who haven't seen them before. (From context I'm pretty sure it means "business analyst / financial analyst", but I had no idea just seeing the title link.)
    – whrrgarbl
    Jul 7 '16 at 15:32
















up vote
0
down vote

favorite












Our backlog ran dry and the one thing left, was this data-modeling task which involves dealing with huge excel spreadsheets and talking to various stakeholders every day. Neither the team, nor the product owner fully understand what that spread sheet is all about or who exactly the stakeholders are.



What we do know, is that they have a bunch of spreadsheets that need to be filled out. However, the 3 developers on the team are frontend developers. What are we supposed to do? Should we simply do what the PO tells us or should we complain to upper management about the PO letting the backlog run dry and failing to effectively use her resources?



Update: We have a BA / FA on the team and some of us feel that he simply handed off his job to the developers.







share|improve this question













closed as off-topic by Jim G., gnat, Lilienthal♦, Chris E, IDrinkandIKnowThings Jul 12 '16 at 20:02


This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave these specific reasons:


  • "Questions asking for advice on what to do are not practical answerable questions (e.g. "what job should I take?", or "what skills should I learn?"). Questions should get answers explaining why and how to make a decision, not advice on what to do. For more information, click here." – Lilienthal, IDrinkandIKnowThings

  • "Real questions have answers. Rather than explaining why your situation is terrible, or why your boss/coworker makes you unhappy, explain what you want to do to make it better. For more information, click here." – Jim G., gnat, Chris E

If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.








  • 10




    How did it get into your backlog if even the product owner does not understand? Delete it.
    – Stephan Bijzitter
    Jul 7 '16 at 14:04










  • The PO tells us that understanding it is the goal of this sprint. She put a huge visio document containing lots of colors and raw data. We are supposed to figure out what data belongs where and what they are all about. I'm not sure if we should do what she says, ask for more resources or tell the management that the PO is not competent.
    – Divyanth Jayaraj
    Jul 7 '16 at 14:17






  • 3




    It is a bit of a stretch to characterize that incompetent. If you do go to upper management you might want to tone down the message.
    – paparazzo
    Jul 7 '16 at 14:22






  • 3




    I started programming because I was a graphic designer and I had no idea what fell into my job description and what didn't. Part of it was I was young and inexperienced, but part is because it was the 90s and the lines weren't clear. Along the way, I've done my share of BA work, technical writing, instructional design, and, of course, graphics and animation. I think all of this makes me a better programmer and a more well-rounded developer.
    – Amy Blankenship
    Jul 7 '16 at 15:25






  • 5




    It might be useful to define the acronyms explicitly, for people (like me) who haven't seen them before. (From context I'm pretty sure it means "business analyst / financial analyst", but I had no idea just seeing the title link.)
    – whrrgarbl
    Jul 7 '16 at 15:32












up vote
0
down vote

favorite









up vote
0
down vote

favorite











Our backlog ran dry and the one thing left, was this data-modeling task which involves dealing with huge excel spreadsheets and talking to various stakeholders every day. Neither the team, nor the product owner fully understand what that spread sheet is all about or who exactly the stakeholders are.



What we do know, is that they have a bunch of spreadsheets that need to be filled out. However, the 3 developers on the team are frontend developers. What are we supposed to do? Should we simply do what the PO tells us or should we complain to upper management about the PO letting the backlog run dry and failing to effectively use her resources?



Update: We have a BA / FA on the team and some of us feel that he simply handed off his job to the developers.







share|improve this question













Our backlog ran dry and the one thing left, was this data-modeling task which involves dealing with huge excel spreadsheets and talking to various stakeholders every day. Neither the team, nor the product owner fully understand what that spread sheet is all about or who exactly the stakeholders are.



What we do know, is that they have a bunch of spreadsheets that need to be filled out. However, the 3 developers on the team are frontend developers. What are we supposed to do? Should we simply do what the PO tells us or should we complain to upper management about the PO letting the backlog run dry and failing to effectively use her resources?



Update: We have a BA / FA on the team and some of us feel that he simply handed off his job to the developers.









share|improve this question












share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited Jul 7 '16 at 15:16
























asked Jul 7 '16 at 13:55









Divyanth Jayaraj

27129




27129




closed as off-topic by Jim G., gnat, Lilienthal♦, Chris E, IDrinkandIKnowThings Jul 12 '16 at 20:02


This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave these specific reasons:


  • "Questions asking for advice on what to do are not practical answerable questions (e.g. "what job should I take?", or "what skills should I learn?"). Questions should get answers explaining why and how to make a decision, not advice on what to do. For more information, click here." – Lilienthal, IDrinkandIKnowThings

  • "Real questions have answers. Rather than explaining why your situation is terrible, or why your boss/coworker makes you unhappy, explain what you want to do to make it better. For more information, click here." – Jim G., gnat, Chris E

If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.




closed as off-topic by Jim G., gnat, Lilienthal♦, Chris E, IDrinkandIKnowThings Jul 12 '16 at 20:02


This question appears to be off-topic. The users who voted to close gave these specific reasons:


  • "Questions asking for advice on what to do are not practical answerable questions (e.g. "what job should I take?", or "what skills should I learn?"). Questions should get answers explaining why and how to make a decision, not advice on what to do. For more information, click here." – Lilienthal, IDrinkandIKnowThings

  • "Real questions have answers. Rather than explaining why your situation is terrible, or why your boss/coworker makes you unhappy, explain what you want to do to make it better. For more information, click here." – Jim G., gnat, Chris E

If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.







  • 10




    How did it get into your backlog if even the product owner does not understand? Delete it.
    – Stephan Bijzitter
    Jul 7 '16 at 14:04










  • The PO tells us that understanding it is the goal of this sprint. She put a huge visio document containing lots of colors and raw data. We are supposed to figure out what data belongs where and what they are all about. I'm not sure if we should do what she says, ask for more resources or tell the management that the PO is not competent.
    – Divyanth Jayaraj
    Jul 7 '16 at 14:17






  • 3




    It is a bit of a stretch to characterize that incompetent. If you do go to upper management you might want to tone down the message.
    – paparazzo
    Jul 7 '16 at 14:22






  • 3




    I started programming because I was a graphic designer and I had no idea what fell into my job description and what didn't. Part of it was I was young and inexperienced, but part is because it was the 90s and the lines weren't clear. Along the way, I've done my share of BA work, technical writing, instructional design, and, of course, graphics and animation. I think all of this makes me a better programmer and a more well-rounded developer.
    – Amy Blankenship
    Jul 7 '16 at 15:25






  • 5




    It might be useful to define the acronyms explicitly, for people (like me) who haven't seen them before. (From context I'm pretty sure it means "business analyst / financial analyst", but I had no idea just seeing the title link.)
    – whrrgarbl
    Jul 7 '16 at 15:32












  • 10




    How did it get into your backlog if even the product owner does not understand? Delete it.
    – Stephan Bijzitter
    Jul 7 '16 at 14:04










  • The PO tells us that understanding it is the goal of this sprint. She put a huge visio document containing lots of colors and raw data. We are supposed to figure out what data belongs where and what they are all about. I'm not sure if we should do what she says, ask for more resources or tell the management that the PO is not competent.
    – Divyanth Jayaraj
    Jul 7 '16 at 14:17






  • 3




    It is a bit of a stretch to characterize that incompetent. If you do go to upper management you might want to tone down the message.
    – paparazzo
    Jul 7 '16 at 14:22






  • 3




    I started programming because I was a graphic designer and I had no idea what fell into my job description and what didn't. Part of it was I was young and inexperienced, but part is because it was the 90s and the lines weren't clear. Along the way, I've done my share of BA work, technical writing, instructional design, and, of course, graphics and animation. I think all of this makes me a better programmer and a more well-rounded developer.
    – Amy Blankenship
    Jul 7 '16 at 15:25






  • 5




    It might be useful to define the acronyms explicitly, for people (like me) who haven't seen them before. (From context I'm pretty sure it means "business analyst / financial analyst", but I had no idea just seeing the title link.)
    – whrrgarbl
    Jul 7 '16 at 15:32







10




10




How did it get into your backlog if even the product owner does not understand? Delete it.
– Stephan Bijzitter
Jul 7 '16 at 14:04




How did it get into your backlog if even the product owner does not understand? Delete it.
– Stephan Bijzitter
Jul 7 '16 at 14:04












The PO tells us that understanding it is the goal of this sprint. She put a huge visio document containing lots of colors and raw data. We are supposed to figure out what data belongs where and what they are all about. I'm not sure if we should do what she says, ask for more resources or tell the management that the PO is not competent.
– Divyanth Jayaraj
Jul 7 '16 at 14:17




The PO tells us that understanding it is the goal of this sprint. She put a huge visio document containing lots of colors and raw data. We are supposed to figure out what data belongs where and what they are all about. I'm not sure if we should do what she says, ask for more resources or tell the management that the PO is not competent.
– Divyanth Jayaraj
Jul 7 '16 at 14:17




3




3




It is a bit of a stretch to characterize that incompetent. If you do go to upper management you might want to tone down the message.
– paparazzo
Jul 7 '16 at 14:22




It is a bit of a stretch to characterize that incompetent. If you do go to upper management you might want to tone down the message.
– paparazzo
Jul 7 '16 at 14:22




3




3




I started programming because I was a graphic designer and I had no idea what fell into my job description and what didn't. Part of it was I was young and inexperienced, but part is because it was the 90s and the lines weren't clear. Along the way, I've done my share of BA work, technical writing, instructional design, and, of course, graphics and animation. I think all of this makes me a better programmer and a more well-rounded developer.
– Amy Blankenship
Jul 7 '16 at 15:25




I started programming because I was a graphic designer and I had no idea what fell into my job description and what didn't. Part of it was I was young and inexperienced, but part is because it was the 90s and the lines weren't clear. Along the way, I've done my share of BA work, technical writing, instructional design, and, of course, graphics and animation. I think all of this makes me a better programmer and a more well-rounded developer.
– Amy Blankenship
Jul 7 '16 at 15:25




5




5




It might be useful to define the acronyms explicitly, for people (like me) who haven't seen them before. (From context I'm pretty sure it means "business analyst / financial analyst", but I had no idea just seeing the title link.)
– whrrgarbl
Jul 7 '16 at 15:32




It might be useful to define the acronyms explicitly, for people (like me) who haven't seen them before. (From context I'm pretty sure it means "business analyst / financial analyst", but I had no idea just seeing the title link.)
– whrrgarbl
Jul 7 '16 at 15:32










4 Answers
4






active

oldest

votes

















up vote
5
down vote



accepted










This is my second answer to this question, which attacks it from a different angle:




The PO tells us that understanding it [the spreadsheet? data modeling task? story?] is the goal of this sprint.




  • this isn't a proper sprint goal.

  • the PO can't unilaterally set the sprint goal, it's decided by the PO and the team.

  • taking a single story for a whole sprint is ridiculous.

  • taking a story that hasn't been properly groomed is ridiculous.

  • ...

Your Scrum process is broken. This is a problem that can easily be solved by a trained and experienced Scrum Master, who has various options such as delaying the sprint planning and use bug fixing as filler, or to convince the PO to start a Spike.



Making sure what happened does not happen is one of the primary functions of a Scrum Master. It seems like a law of nature that POs will occasionally try to pull stuff like that - that's why the Scrum Master is present in the sprint planning and has the authority to easily stop the PO.



Unfortunately, you say your Scrum Master refuses to take action. No matter how nice they may be, this is their job, even if they don't like it, it's what Scrum Masters get paid to do. Make clear to your Scrum Master that this is an impediment and you expect them to help you in getting rid of the impediment. If they don't, they are the problem. This is from the perspective of someone who used to be a Scrum Master himself a couple years ago.



You can mention this to upper management by focussing on the fact that the stories are not properly prepared. Well prepared stories are understood by the team, estimated by the team, and small enough that the largest story should normally take less than half of the sprint's capacity. Don't assign blame to the PO, because competent upper management will realize that this is a Scrum Master issue. We have to assume you have competent upper management, because otherwise you're screwed, seeing how lower management isn't competent yet.






share|improve this answer























  • My scrum master says "it is what it is" and "at least you get a paycheck" and says there's nothing we can do about it. He's asking us to see the positive side of things, like gaining new experiences, meeting new people etc. He's open to us complaining to our managers as long as we have a suggested solution also.
    – Divyanth Jayaraj
    Jul 7 '16 at 15:18

















up vote
27
down vote













You should eagerly seize the opportunity to learn more about the business side and develop personal connections with the stakeholders. You'll probably be able to massively streamline or automate the process and gain kudos too.






share|improve this answer





















  • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
    – Monica Cellio♦
    Jul 8 '16 at 2:37

















up vote
11
down vote













First off, nobody will ever care much about your official job description. If a task is outside of your official job description it often still makes sense to do the job at hand.



Protesting about doing a job that's outside your job description will give off a negative impression, and you have to decide if that's worth it. One might draw the line at having to scrub toilets, but I can see circumstances where even that might be acceptable to me (cleaning lady is sick, small office, good salary, and I prefer having clean toilets to not having clean toilets).



Instead use the opportunity to learn, and let your Scrum Master and PO know that you'd prefer better groomed stories in the future. If this happens often in the future and you generally dislike the kind of work that gets your way, talk to your line manager.



If the PO is generally incompetent and is continuously harming your ability to work properly, that requires a different approach but that's outside the scope of this question.




You should not complain to upper management about the PO letting the backlog run dry. It's their job to already know that. If anything you'd need to talk to upper upper management about upper management not even looking at the backlogs of their POs.






share|improve this answer























  • +1 because I much prefer having people on my team who are more focused on getting the job done than on who is responsible for what parts of it. Do what needs doing to the best of your ability, and after the job is done discuss how things could have been handled better at the post-mortem/retrospective or whatever you call that meeting.
    – ColleenV
    Jul 8 '16 at 17:17

















up vote
3
down vote













"Other duties as assigned" is in almost every employment contract. If it is assigned to you by your manager, it's part of your job until your manager says it isn't.



If anyone other than your manager tries to assign work to you, you are entitled to say "please make that request through my manager, so he can balance it against the department's other commitments."






share|improve this answer




























    4 Answers
    4






    active

    oldest

    votes








    4 Answers
    4






    active

    oldest

    votes









    active

    oldest

    votes






    active

    oldest

    votes








    up vote
    5
    down vote



    accepted










    This is my second answer to this question, which attacks it from a different angle:




    The PO tells us that understanding it [the spreadsheet? data modeling task? story?] is the goal of this sprint.




    • this isn't a proper sprint goal.

    • the PO can't unilaterally set the sprint goal, it's decided by the PO and the team.

    • taking a single story for a whole sprint is ridiculous.

    • taking a story that hasn't been properly groomed is ridiculous.

    • ...

    Your Scrum process is broken. This is a problem that can easily be solved by a trained and experienced Scrum Master, who has various options such as delaying the sprint planning and use bug fixing as filler, or to convince the PO to start a Spike.



    Making sure what happened does not happen is one of the primary functions of a Scrum Master. It seems like a law of nature that POs will occasionally try to pull stuff like that - that's why the Scrum Master is present in the sprint planning and has the authority to easily stop the PO.



    Unfortunately, you say your Scrum Master refuses to take action. No matter how nice they may be, this is their job, even if they don't like it, it's what Scrum Masters get paid to do. Make clear to your Scrum Master that this is an impediment and you expect them to help you in getting rid of the impediment. If they don't, they are the problem. This is from the perspective of someone who used to be a Scrum Master himself a couple years ago.



    You can mention this to upper management by focussing on the fact that the stories are not properly prepared. Well prepared stories are understood by the team, estimated by the team, and small enough that the largest story should normally take less than half of the sprint's capacity. Don't assign blame to the PO, because competent upper management will realize that this is a Scrum Master issue. We have to assume you have competent upper management, because otherwise you're screwed, seeing how lower management isn't competent yet.






    share|improve this answer























    • My scrum master says "it is what it is" and "at least you get a paycheck" and says there's nothing we can do about it. He's asking us to see the positive side of things, like gaining new experiences, meeting new people etc. He's open to us complaining to our managers as long as we have a suggested solution also.
      – Divyanth Jayaraj
      Jul 7 '16 at 15:18














    up vote
    5
    down vote



    accepted










    This is my second answer to this question, which attacks it from a different angle:




    The PO tells us that understanding it [the spreadsheet? data modeling task? story?] is the goal of this sprint.




    • this isn't a proper sprint goal.

    • the PO can't unilaterally set the sprint goal, it's decided by the PO and the team.

    • taking a single story for a whole sprint is ridiculous.

    • taking a story that hasn't been properly groomed is ridiculous.

    • ...

    Your Scrum process is broken. This is a problem that can easily be solved by a trained and experienced Scrum Master, who has various options such as delaying the sprint planning and use bug fixing as filler, or to convince the PO to start a Spike.



    Making sure what happened does not happen is one of the primary functions of a Scrum Master. It seems like a law of nature that POs will occasionally try to pull stuff like that - that's why the Scrum Master is present in the sprint planning and has the authority to easily stop the PO.



    Unfortunately, you say your Scrum Master refuses to take action. No matter how nice they may be, this is their job, even if they don't like it, it's what Scrum Masters get paid to do. Make clear to your Scrum Master that this is an impediment and you expect them to help you in getting rid of the impediment. If they don't, they are the problem. This is from the perspective of someone who used to be a Scrum Master himself a couple years ago.



    You can mention this to upper management by focussing on the fact that the stories are not properly prepared. Well prepared stories are understood by the team, estimated by the team, and small enough that the largest story should normally take less than half of the sprint's capacity. Don't assign blame to the PO, because competent upper management will realize that this is a Scrum Master issue. We have to assume you have competent upper management, because otherwise you're screwed, seeing how lower management isn't competent yet.






    share|improve this answer























    • My scrum master says "it is what it is" and "at least you get a paycheck" and says there's nothing we can do about it. He's asking us to see the positive side of things, like gaining new experiences, meeting new people etc. He's open to us complaining to our managers as long as we have a suggested solution also.
      – Divyanth Jayaraj
      Jul 7 '16 at 15:18












    up vote
    5
    down vote



    accepted







    up vote
    5
    down vote



    accepted






    This is my second answer to this question, which attacks it from a different angle:




    The PO tells us that understanding it [the spreadsheet? data modeling task? story?] is the goal of this sprint.




    • this isn't a proper sprint goal.

    • the PO can't unilaterally set the sprint goal, it's decided by the PO and the team.

    • taking a single story for a whole sprint is ridiculous.

    • taking a story that hasn't been properly groomed is ridiculous.

    • ...

    Your Scrum process is broken. This is a problem that can easily be solved by a trained and experienced Scrum Master, who has various options such as delaying the sprint planning and use bug fixing as filler, or to convince the PO to start a Spike.



    Making sure what happened does not happen is one of the primary functions of a Scrum Master. It seems like a law of nature that POs will occasionally try to pull stuff like that - that's why the Scrum Master is present in the sprint planning and has the authority to easily stop the PO.



    Unfortunately, you say your Scrum Master refuses to take action. No matter how nice they may be, this is their job, even if they don't like it, it's what Scrum Masters get paid to do. Make clear to your Scrum Master that this is an impediment and you expect them to help you in getting rid of the impediment. If they don't, they are the problem. This is from the perspective of someone who used to be a Scrum Master himself a couple years ago.



    You can mention this to upper management by focussing on the fact that the stories are not properly prepared. Well prepared stories are understood by the team, estimated by the team, and small enough that the largest story should normally take less than half of the sprint's capacity. Don't assign blame to the PO, because competent upper management will realize that this is a Scrum Master issue. We have to assume you have competent upper management, because otherwise you're screwed, seeing how lower management isn't competent yet.






    share|improve this answer















    This is my second answer to this question, which attacks it from a different angle:




    The PO tells us that understanding it [the spreadsheet? data modeling task? story?] is the goal of this sprint.




    • this isn't a proper sprint goal.

    • the PO can't unilaterally set the sprint goal, it's decided by the PO and the team.

    • taking a single story for a whole sprint is ridiculous.

    • taking a story that hasn't been properly groomed is ridiculous.

    • ...

    Your Scrum process is broken. This is a problem that can easily be solved by a trained and experienced Scrum Master, who has various options such as delaying the sprint planning and use bug fixing as filler, or to convince the PO to start a Spike.



    Making sure what happened does not happen is one of the primary functions of a Scrum Master. It seems like a law of nature that POs will occasionally try to pull stuff like that - that's why the Scrum Master is present in the sprint planning and has the authority to easily stop the PO.



    Unfortunately, you say your Scrum Master refuses to take action. No matter how nice they may be, this is their job, even if they don't like it, it's what Scrum Masters get paid to do. Make clear to your Scrum Master that this is an impediment and you expect them to help you in getting rid of the impediment. If they don't, they are the problem. This is from the perspective of someone who used to be a Scrum Master himself a couple years ago.



    You can mention this to upper management by focussing on the fact that the stories are not properly prepared. Well prepared stories are understood by the team, estimated by the team, and small enough that the largest story should normally take less than half of the sprint's capacity. Don't assign blame to the PO, because competent upper management will realize that this is a Scrum Master issue. We have to assume you have competent upper management, because otherwise you're screwed, seeing how lower management isn't competent yet.







    share|improve this answer















    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer








    edited Jul 8 '16 at 11:00


























    answered Jul 7 '16 at 15:07









    Peter

    10.3k11835




    10.3k11835











    • My scrum master says "it is what it is" and "at least you get a paycheck" and says there's nothing we can do about it. He's asking us to see the positive side of things, like gaining new experiences, meeting new people etc. He's open to us complaining to our managers as long as we have a suggested solution also.
      – Divyanth Jayaraj
      Jul 7 '16 at 15:18
















    • My scrum master says "it is what it is" and "at least you get a paycheck" and says there's nothing we can do about it. He's asking us to see the positive side of things, like gaining new experiences, meeting new people etc. He's open to us complaining to our managers as long as we have a suggested solution also.
      – Divyanth Jayaraj
      Jul 7 '16 at 15:18















    My scrum master says "it is what it is" and "at least you get a paycheck" and says there's nothing we can do about it. He's asking us to see the positive side of things, like gaining new experiences, meeting new people etc. He's open to us complaining to our managers as long as we have a suggested solution also.
    – Divyanth Jayaraj
    Jul 7 '16 at 15:18




    My scrum master says "it is what it is" and "at least you get a paycheck" and says there's nothing we can do about it. He's asking us to see the positive side of things, like gaining new experiences, meeting new people etc. He's open to us complaining to our managers as long as we have a suggested solution also.
    – Divyanth Jayaraj
    Jul 7 '16 at 15:18












    up vote
    27
    down vote













    You should eagerly seize the opportunity to learn more about the business side and develop personal connections with the stakeholders. You'll probably be able to massively streamline or automate the process and gain kudos too.






    share|improve this answer





















    • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
      – Monica Cellio♦
      Jul 8 '16 at 2:37














    up vote
    27
    down vote













    You should eagerly seize the opportunity to learn more about the business side and develop personal connections with the stakeholders. You'll probably be able to massively streamline or automate the process and gain kudos too.






    share|improve this answer





















    • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
      – Monica Cellio♦
      Jul 8 '16 at 2:37












    up vote
    27
    down vote










    up vote
    27
    down vote









    You should eagerly seize the opportunity to learn more about the business side and develop personal connections with the stakeholders. You'll probably be able to massively streamline or automate the process and gain kudos too.






    share|improve this answer













    You should eagerly seize the opportunity to learn more about the business side and develop personal connections with the stakeholders. You'll probably be able to massively streamline or automate the process and gain kudos too.







    share|improve this answer













    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer











    answered Jul 7 '16 at 14:18









    TheMathemagician

    496411




    496411











    • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
      – Monica Cellio♦
      Jul 8 '16 at 2:37
















    • Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
      – Monica Cellio♦
      Jul 8 '16 at 2:37















    Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
    – Monica Cellio♦
    Jul 8 '16 at 2:37




    Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been moved to chat.
    – Monica Cellio♦
    Jul 8 '16 at 2:37










    up vote
    11
    down vote













    First off, nobody will ever care much about your official job description. If a task is outside of your official job description it often still makes sense to do the job at hand.



    Protesting about doing a job that's outside your job description will give off a negative impression, and you have to decide if that's worth it. One might draw the line at having to scrub toilets, but I can see circumstances where even that might be acceptable to me (cleaning lady is sick, small office, good salary, and I prefer having clean toilets to not having clean toilets).



    Instead use the opportunity to learn, and let your Scrum Master and PO know that you'd prefer better groomed stories in the future. If this happens often in the future and you generally dislike the kind of work that gets your way, talk to your line manager.



    If the PO is generally incompetent and is continuously harming your ability to work properly, that requires a different approach but that's outside the scope of this question.




    You should not complain to upper management about the PO letting the backlog run dry. It's their job to already know that. If anything you'd need to talk to upper upper management about upper management not even looking at the backlogs of their POs.






    share|improve this answer























    • +1 because I much prefer having people on my team who are more focused on getting the job done than on who is responsible for what parts of it. Do what needs doing to the best of your ability, and after the job is done discuss how things could have been handled better at the post-mortem/retrospective or whatever you call that meeting.
      – ColleenV
      Jul 8 '16 at 17:17














    up vote
    11
    down vote













    First off, nobody will ever care much about your official job description. If a task is outside of your official job description it often still makes sense to do the job at hand.



    Protesting about doing a job that's outside your job description will give off a negative impression, and you have to decide if that's worth it. One might draw the line at having to scrub toilets, but I can see circumstances where even that might be acceptable to me (cleaning lady is sick, small office, good salary, and I prefer having clean toilets to not having clean toilets).



    Instead use the opportunity to learn, and let your Scrum Master and PO know that you'd prefer better groomed stories in the future. If this happens often in the future and you generally dislike the kind of work that gets your way, talk to your line manager.



    If the PO is generally incompetent and is continuously harming your ability to work properly, that requires a different approach but that's outside the scope of this question.




    You should not complain to upper management about the PO letting the backlog run dry. It's their job to already know that. If anything you'd need to talk to upper upper management about upper management not even looking at the backlogs of their POs.






    share|improve this answer























    • +1 because I much prefer having people on my team who are more focused on getting the job done than on who is responsible for what parts of it. Do what needs doing to the best of your ability, and after the job is done discuss how things could have been handled better at the post-mortem/retrospective or whatever you call that meeting.
      – ColleenV
      Jul 8 '16 at 17:17












    up vote
    11
    down vote










    up vote
    11
    down vote









    First off, nobody will ever care much about your official job description. If a task is outside of your official job description it often still makes sense to do the job at hand.



    Protesting about doing a job that's outside your job description will give off a negative impression, and you have to decide if that's worth it. One might draw the line at having to scrub toilets, but I can see circumstances where even that might be acceptable to me (cleaning lady is sick, small office, good salary, and I prefer having clean toilets to not having clean toilets).



    Instead use the opportunity to learn, and let your Scrum Master and PO know that you'd prefer better groomed stories in the future. If this happens often in the future and you generally dislike the kind of work that gets your way, talk to your line manager.



    If the PO is generally incompetent and is continuously harming your ability to work properly, that requires a different approach but that's outside the scope of this question.




    You should not complain to upper management about the PO letting the backlog run dry. It's their job to already know that. If anything you'd need to talk to upper upper management about upper management not even looking at the backlogs of their POs.






    share|improve this answer















    First off, nobody will ever care much about your official job description. If a task is outside of your official job description it often still makes sense to do the job at hand.



    Protesting about doing a job that's outside your job description will give off a negative impression, and you have to decide if that's worth it. One might draw the line at having to scrub toilets, but I can see circumstances where even that might be acceptable to me (cleaning lady is sick, small office, good salary, and I prefer having clean toilets to not having clean toilets).



    Instead use the opportunity to learn, and let your Scrum Master and PO know that you'd prefer better groomed stories in the future. If this happens often in the future and you generally dislike the kind of work that gets your way, talk to your line manager.



    If the PO is generally incompetent and is continuously harming your ability to work properly, that requires a different approach but that's outside the scope of this question.




    You should not complain to upper management about the PO letting the backlog run dry. It's their job to already know that. If anything you'd need to talk to upper upper management about upper management not even looking at the backlogs of their POs.







    share|improve this answer















    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer








    edited Jul 7 '16 at 14:59


























    answered Jul 7 '16 at 14:54









    Peter

    10.3k11835




    10.3k11835











    • +1 because I much prefer having people on my team who are more focused on getting the job done than on who is responsible for what parts of it. Do what needs doing to the best of your ability, and after the job is done discuss how things could have been handled better at the post-mortem/retrospective or whatever you call that meeting.
      – ColleenV
      Jul 8 '16 at 17:17
















    • +1 because I much prefer having people on my team who are more focused on getting the job done than on who is responsible for what parts of it. Do what needs doing to the best of your ability, and after the job is done discuss how things could have been handled better at the post-mortem/retrospective or whatever you call that meeting.
      – ColleenV
      Jul 8 '16 at 17:17















    +1 because I much prefer having people on my team who are more focused on getting the job done than on who is responsible for what parts of it. Do what needs doing to the best of your ability, and after the job is done discuss how things could have been handled better at the post-mortem/retrospective or whatever you call that meeting.
    – ColleenV
    Jul 8 '16 at 17:17




    +1 because I much prefer having people on my team who are more focused on getting the job done than on who is responsible for what parts of it. Do what needs doing to the best of your ability, and after the job is done discuss how things could have been handled better at the post-mortem/retrospective or whatever you call that meeting.
    – ColleenV
    Jul 8 '16 at 17:17










    up vote
    3
    down vote













    "Other duties as assigned" is in almost every employment contract. If it is assigned to you by your manager, it's part of your job until your manager says it isn't.



    If anyone other than your manager tries to assign work to you, you are entitled to say "please make that request through my manager, so he can balance it against the department's other commitments."






    share|improve this answer

























      up vote
      3
      down vote













      "Other duties as assigned" is in almost every employment contract. If it is assigned to you by your manager, it's part of your job until your manager says it isn't.



      If anyone other than your manager tries to assign work to you, you are entitled to say "please make that request through my manager, so he can balance it against the department's other commitments."






      share|improve this answer























        up vote
        3
        down vote










        up vote
        3
        down vote









        "Other duties as assigned" is in almost every employment contract. If it is assigned to you by your manager, it's part of your job until your manager says it isn't.



        If anyone other than your manager tries to assign work to you, you are entitled to say "please make that request through my manager, so he can balance it against the department's other commitments."






        share|improve this answer













        "Other duties as assigned" is in almost every employment contract. If it is assigned to you by your manager, it's part of your job until your manager says it isn't.



        If anyone other than your manager tries to assign work to you, you are entitled to say "please make that request through my manager, so he can balance it against the department's other commitments."







        share|improve this answer













        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer











        answered Jul 8 '16 at 16:55









        keshlam

        41.5k1267144




        41.5k1267144












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