## How Can Saying No Benefit Stakeholders and Teams? Saying no can prevent misunderstandings, resentment, and burnout. By declining work that doesn’t align with product goals, Product Owners protect the team’s capacity, ensuring that commitments are achievable and meaningful. This focus increases the likelihood of delivering on promises, which in turn builds stakeholder trust and respect—people are more confident in a team that consistently delivers what it commits to rather than overpromising and underdelivering. Teams benefit by gaining the focus needed to complete existing commitments, while stakeholders benefit by receiving previously promised features sooner. By concentrating on current work instead of being distracted by additional—though potentially valuable—requests, delivery becomes faster and more predictable. ## Works Consulted 1. [000267 Battling the Bloated Product Backlog](https://www.scrum.org/resources/blog/battling-bloated-product-backlog) | Scrum.org | Accessed 25 Jul. 2025. ## Connections follows::[[4.1 Product Owners Safeguard Value Delivery by Saying No]] topics:: [[Burnout]], [[Sustainable Pace]], [[Saying No]], [[Product Owner]], [[Trust]], [[Capacity]], [[Focus]], [[Predictability]] ![[Footer]]