# The Yes-Man Product Owner and the Scrum Master Who Became a Proxy for the Proxy | Maria Skvortsova

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/scrum-master-toolbox-podcast-agile-storytelling-from-the-trenches-445588/the-yes-man-product-owner-and-the-scrum-master-who-became-a-proxy-for-the-proxy-maria-skvortsova
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Podcast: [Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile storytelling from the trenches](https://stenobird.com/podcast/scrum-master-toolbox-podcast-agile-storytelling-from-the-trenches-445588)
Published: 2026-06-05T10:05:00+00:00
Episode link: https://scrummastertoolbox.libsyn.com/the-yes-man-product-owner-and-the-scrum-master-who-became-a-proxy-for-the-proxy-maria-skvortsova
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/scrummastertoolbox/20260605_Maria_Skvortsova_F.mp3?dest-id=246429
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Duration seconds: 934

## Resource

Maria Skvortsova: The Yes-Man Product Owner and the Scrum Master Who Became a Proxy for the Proxy In this episode, we refer to User Story Mapping and the MoSCoW prioritization method . The Great Product Owner: Structure Over Gut Feeling — When a Well-Shaped Backlog Speaks for Itself Read the full Show Notes and search through the world's largest audio library on Agile and Scrum directly on the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast website: http://bit.ly/SMTP_ShowNotes . "The indicator of a good product owner is a well-shaped backlog — with priorities, with values, with efforts. You definitely know that you pull from the top, and it is the most valuable thing you should work on." — Maria Skvortsova For Maria, the best product owners she's worked with share one trait: they bring structure. Not rigidity — structure. They use techniques like user story mapping to make priorities visual for everyone. They use value-effort matrices instead of gut feelings. They apply methods like MoSCoW to give the backlog a clear, unambiguous order. The result? A developer never has to ask "what should I work on next?" — the answer is always at the top of the backlog. Maria, drawing on her decade as a C++ developer, knows firsthand how frustrating it is to chase down a BA or PO just to figure out what to build next. A well-ordered backlog doesn't just help the team move faster — it also makes it easier for the product owner to communicate with the business, because every decision has data behind it, not just intuition. Self-reflection Question: Could a new team member look at your product backlog right now and immediately know what to work on next — and why that item is the most valuable? The Bad Product Owner: The Yes-Man Who Sank the Ship — When Saying Yes to Everything Means Delivering Nothing Re…

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