--- title: "PSPO Certification (Professional Scrum Product Owner) - José DA COSTA" description: "Professional Scrum Product Owner certification from ORSYS (July 2021). Validates skills in backlog management, stakeholder engagement, and value-driven delivery within Scrum teams." locale: "en" canonical: "https://portfolio.josedacosta.info/en/journey/pspo-certification-professional-scrum-product-owner" source: "https://portfolio.josedacosta.info/en/journey/pspo-certification-professional-scrum-product-owner.md" html_source: "https://portfolio.josedacosta.info/en/journey/pspo-certification-professional-scrum-product-owner" author: "José DA COSTA" type: "journey" slug: "pspo-certification-professional-scrum-product-owner" generated_at: "2026-04-23T15:47:48.854Z" --- # PSPO Certification (Professional Scrum Product Owner) **Organization:** Scrum.org **Period:** 2021-07 **Type:** certification ## Overview Professional Scrum Product Owner certification from ORSYS (July 2021). Validates skills in backlog management, stakeholder engagement, and value-driven delivery within Scrum teams. - Formalized transition from Technical Lead to Project Manager - Applied directly to ESB platform backlog at Groupe Pichet - Structured product decisions with Scrum ceremonies and artifacts ## Competencies (6) - **Agile Project Management** (confidence 5/5) _(soft)_: Drive projects using Agile/Scrum frameworks: sprint planning, backlog management, Scrum ceremonies, and tracking incremental value delivery. - **Stakeholder Management** (confidence 4/5) _(soft)_: Identify, engage, and align business and technical stakeholders around a shared product vision. Translate business needs into actionable user stories. - **Leadership & Team Management** (confidence 4/5) _(soft)_: Guide development teams toward product goals, facilitate collaboration, and create an environment that drives collective performance. - **Communication & Collaboration** (confidence 4/5) _(soft)_: Communicate effectively between technical teams and business leadership. Lead Sprint Reviews, facilitate exchanges, and synthesize product decisions. - **Problem Solving & Critical Thinking** (confidence 4/5) _(soft)_: Prioritize backlog items based on business impact, analyze trade-offs between technical debt and new features, make informed product decisions. - **Adaptability & Learning Agility** (confidence 4/5) _(soft)_: Adapt to shifting context and priorities. Transition from a purely technical role to product management by integrating new methodological frameworks. **About Certification:** The **Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO)** is an internationally recognized certification issued by **Scrum.org**. It validates mastery of the Product Owner role as defined in the Scrum Guide: maximizing product value by effectively managing the **Product Backlog**, collaborating with stakeholders, and guiding the development team toward business objectives. The training was delivered by **ORSYS**, a leading professional training organization in France. ## Why This Cert **Title:** Why this certification **Content:** July 2021 marked a turning point in my career at **Groupe Pichet**. After two years as **Technical Lead** (2019 - 2021), I took on the **Technical Project Manager** role. This shift required a concrete evolution: moving from pure technical work to product and project management. The PSPO certification **formalized and structured this transition**. It gave me a methodological framework to manage complex backlogs, prioritize product decisions, and communicate effectively with business stakeholders. ## Career Context **Title:** Career context #### Timeline **Period:** 2021 **Role:** PSPO Certification **Context:** First Agile certification, focused on product management at the Scrum team level. Formalized the transition to a hybrid technical/product role. **Period:** 2021 - 2023 **Role:** Technical Project Manager **Context:** Multi-project backlog management at Pichet. The need to coordinate multiple technical teams on integration projects revealed the limits of Scrum alone. **Period:** 2022 **Role:** SAFe 5 PO/PM Certification **Context:** Acquired the SAFe framework to structure product management at enterprise scale: PI Planning, value streams, Agile Release Trains. **Period:** 2023 - 2024 **Role:** Engineering Manager **Context:** Applied SAFe principles to align technical decisions with strategic objectives. Managed the project portfolio with a program-level vision. ## Key Competencies **Title:** Validated competencies #### Items **Product Backlog Management** Structure, prioritize, and refine a backlog to maximize the value delivered each sprint. _Icon:_ list **Stakeholder Engagement** Translate business needs into actionable user stories, facilitate exchanges between technical teams and business leadership. _Icon:_ users **Value-Driven Delivery** Prioritize features based on business impact, measure delivered value, and continuously adjust the roadmap. _Icon:_ target **Scrum Framework** Master Scrum events (Sprint Planning, Daily, Review, Retrospective) and artifacts (Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, Increment). _Icon:_ refresh **Product Vision** Define and communicate a clear product vision aligned with the company's strategic objectives. _Icon:_ eye ## Concrete Applications ### Concrete applications at Pichet - Set up a structured **Product Backlog** for the **ESB** platform (Enterprise Service Bus) integrating **TIBCO**, **SAP**, and business tools - Led **Sprint Reviews** with business leadership (real estate, development, property management) to validate priorities - Defined the **product roadmap** for **Akeneo PIM** and **Bynder DAM**, balancing **technical debt** against new features - Transitioned project management from **waterfall** to **Agile/Scrum** approach on integration projects - Facilitated **Sprint Retrospectives** to improve collaboration across distributed teams (Bordeaux, Paris, contractors) ## Certification Path **Title:** Agile certification path **Description:** The PSPO is part of a complementary certification trajectory covering product management at different scales. #### Certifications **PSPO - Professional Scrum Product Owner** _Date:_ July 2021 _Scope:_ Product management at Scrum team level _Status:_ current **SAFe 5 Product Owner / Product Manager** _Date:_ December 2022 _Scope:_ Product management at enterprise scale (SAFe) _Status:_ next ## Toeic Connection **Title:** The link with professional English **Content:** Modern Product Ownership extends beyond the borders of a local team. At Pichet, Product Backlog management involved tools and documentation entirely in English (Jira, Confluence, TIBCO specifications, Akeneo API, Bynder documentation). Sprint Reviews and Sprint Plannings with external contractors were regularly conducted in English. My **TOEIC score of 950/990** (obtained in March 2024) confirms this language proficiency used daily in the Product Owner role. Mastery of technical and business English is a prerequisite for any Product Owner operating in an international technology ecosystem. **Issuer Presentation:** ORSYS is a major player in professional training in France, founded in 1976. Specializing in IT, management, and personal development, ORSYS trains over 40,000 professionals each year. The organization offers certified training programs recognized by companies and eligible for professional development funding (CPF, OPCO). **Related Skills Intro:** This certification validates competencies directly applied in my Technical Project Manager and Engineering Manager roles, where product management is an integral part of daily work. Full interactive version with timeline navigation: https://portfolio.josedacosta.info/en/journey/pspo-certification-professional-scrum-product-owner