The CSPO Pathology

Marty Cagan argues that the product management field suffers from a widespread problem: many people become product managers after only a Certified Scrum Product Owner course, which teaches delivery-process rituals rather than the core skills of a product manager. He notes that the trainers are often Agile coaches who have never done the product job well, and that managers who also lack that experience cannot coach their people effectively. This matters because it produces many weak product managers who act as backlog administrators or project managers rather than driving product outcomes. Cagan's point is not that CSPO or Agile is bad, but that CSPO is no substitute for real product management training from proven practitioners.

01Key takeaways

• A CSPO certification teaches delivery-team responsibilities, not the full product manager job, so it should not be the only preparation.
• Check whether a course or coach has actually done strong product management at a good product company before investing in their training.
• Managers who have never done product work well need outside help, such as a proven product coach, to develop their PMs.
• Watch for PMs who act as backlog administrators or project managers, since this is a symptom of weak product training.
• Agile delivery practices remain valuable; the problem is mistaking delivery rituals for product leadership.

02Key sections

The CSPO pathology

Cagan describes the fastest-growing source of weak product management: confusing the product owner role on an Agile delivery team with the broader product manager role. He notes that many people's only formal preparation is a CSPO course taught by delivery-focused coaches.

Why the problem persists

Many managers of product managers have never done the job well, so they rely on the same training instead of coaching their people. The role is poorly understood, and process is an attractive proxy for real product skill.

How to fix it

Cagan recommends that managers with strong product experience coach their team, or bring in proven product or discovery coaches or senior PMs. If external training is used, it should be taught by people who have actually led product at strong companies.

Clarifying the position

Cagan is clear he is not against CSPO or Agile delivery methods, which he has supported for nearly two decades. His aim is to get leaders to question whether their product people's training really meets their needs.

03From the post

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04Frameworks mentioned

Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.