Final answer:
The priority of technical user stories is typically decided by the Product Owner with help from the Tech Lead.
Step-by-step explanation:
When it comes to prioritizing technical user stories, the key decision rests with the Product Owner, who typically receives assistance from the Tech Lead. The Product Owner is responsible for ensuring that the product's features and functionality align with the overall business goals and user needs. Since technical user stories often contribute to the technical health, scalability, or performance of the product, the Product Owner must gauge their importance relative to other product features and include them in the product backlog accordingly. The Tech Lead, possessing deep technical knowledge and understanding of the system's architecture and potential technical debt, plays an advisory role in helping the Product Owner understand the implications and the urgency of the technical tasks.
It is important to note that while the Product Owner has the final say on what gets prioritized, the smoothly running interdisciplinary dynamic between the Product Owner and the Tech Lead is crucial for balancing new features with necessary technical work. In contrast, the Engineering teams are generally composed of engineers with different specializations and work in one or more teams, but they do not typically set priorities for user stories.