Debbie is the Product Owner at MyNewTerm, where she plays a pivotal role in shaping and refining the platform. Her days are a mix of managing the product backlog, aligning priorities with stakeholders, and working closely with the development team to bring ideas to life.
Whether she’s writing user stories in Trello or answering questions mid-sprint, Debbie is all about making sure the product delivers real value to users.
With a background spanning IT, development, support, and project delivery, Debbie brings decades of experience and a calm, methodical mindset to every challenge. She loves learning new tools, mapping out processes, and collaborating across teams.
What does a typical day in your role look like?
My day as a product owner is dynamic and involves balancing stakeholder communication, backlog management, and team collaboration to ensure product success.
Morning Routine
Start of Day: Check communication channels like Slack or email for updates from stakeholders or the development team. This helps me prioritise tasks based on any urgent issues or feedback received overnight.
If the day is on a Monday, we have a stand-up meeting with the development team to discuss progress, clarify priorities, and address blockers. This meeting is crucial for keeping the team aligned with the product goals.
Backlog Management: Part of my role involves managing the product backlog, currently using Trello. This includes refining backlog items, ensuring they are well-defined with clear user stories and acceptance criteria, and prioritising tasks based on business value and user feedback.
Communication: Throughout the day, product owners engage with Developers/Stakeholders,/Operations to gather feedback, provide updates, and align on priorities. This communication is vital for ensuring that the product remains aligned with business goals and user needs.
Afternoon Tasks
Collaboration with Teams: work closely with the development team, answering questions and providing guidance on product features. They serve as the voice of the customer, ensuring that the team understands user needs and expectations.
End of Day
Review and Reflect: At the end of the day, I review the progress made on tasks and prepare for the next day by updating Trello and setting priorities. This reflection helps me stay organised and focused on delivering maximum value.
Conclusion
My role as a product owner is multifaceted, requiring strong communication skills, the ability to prioritise effectively, and a deep understanding of the product.
How did you get started in this industry?
Many moons ago in a distant past, I started as an IT Junior, got into Development, then support, Project Management and Product Delivery
What do you find most rewarding about your job?
Writing Processes, learning new tools and meeting people.
What’s your go-to productivity hack or tool?
Miro or Lucid.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Take each day as it comes; tomorrow is another day.
What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?
I completed Ironman Florida in 2006.
If you could swap jobs with anyone for a day, who would it be? (Internally)
too early
Curious about how MyNewTerm continues to evolve?
Debbie’s always working behind the scenes to shape a better, smarter platform. Got feedback or ideas? Our product team would love to hear from you—just drop us a message!
