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Perfect product backlog

Hello again. A translation of this article was prepared ahead of the launch of the Agile Project Manager in IT course .



A healthy product backlog is a prerequisite for a successful Scrum team. Instead of focusing solely on refining user stories for the upcoming sprint, prudent Scrum teams invest in refining the product backlog to increase transparency, focus on their vision, and maintain consistency. Transparency is much more than just providing information; an interested party should be able to get the information it needs within a few seconds.

Take a look at the product backlog below to understand what I mean by the ideal backlog. This backlog clearly reflects the work of the upcoming sprint, a long-term roadmap, key milestones and articulates a vision for the future - all on one page! A look at such a backlog allows all interested parties, customers, team members and managers to quickly build an understanding of the state of the product. The most recent retrospective actions are on top. All user stories are evaluated. Regardless of the type of audience, each member will receive the necessary information in less than 30 seconds.



Where user stories die


Have you ever encountered a product backlog when user stories for the next sprint are clearly defined, but behind them are a bunch of non-prioritized garbage? I call it a backlog-graveyard. Over time, this cemetery grows. There are too many user stories to keep track of, so ratings are out of date. This backlog no longer fits on one screen, and people no longer return to it, even Product Owner. This graveyard generates unhealthy behavior within the Scrum team. This is manifested in different ways in behavior: the team has a conflicting idea of ​​what they are doing and why they are doing it, and Product Owner spends his time creating a version of the product backlog in Power Point to convey its current status to the team.In turn, stakeholders create and maintain their own version of the backlog for the product roadmap, and each team speaks its own language, and the conflict arises at the moment when it becomes clear that the interpretation of the product backlog for these teams is different. This antipattern, which has strengthened in the relationship between business and Scrum teams, manifests itself when the backlog turns into an abandoned space of small user stories that no one will work on and whose value is being questioned.when a backlog turns into an abandoned space of small user stories that no one will work on and whose value is called into question.when a backlog turns into an abandoned space of small user stories that no one will work on and whose value is being questioned.



How to resurrect a product backlog so that it becomes perfect?


So, how can a team get the perfect product backlog from a backlog cemetery?

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  5. Talk about the current product backlog when discussing progress, for example, during a sprint review, so that your customers and executives feel more comfortable and know exactly where to find it.


What is your backlog more like: ideal or cemetery? How does a product backlog affect team behavior and results? And what can you do about it?


And if you want to understand how Project and Product differ, find out how responsibilities are distributed between them and determine the difference in soft skills for these roles, sign up for a free lesson at the course .

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