A backlog is a prioritized list of tasks for the team to work on. The backlog might consist of product bugs, new features, technical debt, https://globalcloudteam.com/ UI changes, etc. A groomed backlog helps your product team deliver features more rapidly and keeps the organization moving forward.

The high priority items in the Product Backlog are fine grained and have more details as well as accurate estimates because of more information and greater details of those items. Items on the lower priority are big items with high level estimates. As the team gets more detailed information on lower priority items, these items are further split in to small items.

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A product backlog represents all of the goals and desired outcomes within the development of a product. They are the specific tasks a team hopes to complete when they set out to design or improve upon a product. The items at the top of the backlog have more accurate estimates. The lower priority items are estimated at high level and can be re-estimated as team gets more information.

• When deciding which items should be prioritized, consider the value each item will provide.
• “We’ve had some teams try to do more of a classic two weeks scrum model — with daily stand-ups, backlog grooming meetings, etc.
• The Product Backlog is prioritized when the highest priority items are on top.
• A DEEP product backlog clearly helps us to zero in on user stories that are most important or most valuable.

It is very significant to ensure that every department of the organization participates and engages in regular backlog refinement sessions. However, it is to be noted that the process becomes rather overwhelming and fruitless when there is an unnecessary number of collaborators with diverse viewpoints. Some of the key personnel with the most profound involvement in the product development process should be regular attendees of the grooming meetings. Ideally, backlog refinement sessions are run by either the product manager or the product owner. Another senior member of the team, the project manager, or the ScrumMaster may also conduct a backlog refinement or grooming session.

Add new user stories according to new insights

The product owner should explain the metrics that have occurred since the last meeting and then use them to update the backlog. The product manager should reach out to the company’s executives (who don’t need to attend these sessions) for feedback — which they should then incorporate. Several key processes make up agile methodology, and one of them (the one we’re talking about today) is backlog grooming.

We need to have a ballpark idea of the amount of effort that would be required for each to guide effective prioritization. All items in the backlog must have estimates, although the level of accuracy can vary. Estimates for higher-priority items or items at the top of the backlog need to be more accurate. We can afford to be less precise with lower-priority items because they are assumed not well understood yet.

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However, it is ideal that the entire cross-functional team is represented to have the most effective session. The combined expertise of the various individuals on your team techniques and practices for product backlog is what you need to flesh out your user stories effectively. The backlog is constantly updated by the product manager, QA tester, developers, or other team members.

The backlog refinement process ensures that only the most relevant tasks get committed for delivery in the following sprint. The team that consistently completes their most valued backlog items delivers the most value to customers. To set priorities, one must understand the market and the cost of each item. Without a well-structured and maintained product backlog, the team risks delivering a product that does not meet the needs of the customer or the business. Third, a DEEP product backlog should be estimated, meaning that each item should have a rough estimate of its complexity and effort required to complete it.

Emergent

The key to a healthy Product Backlog is to perform refinement regularly. The Big Design Up Front approach claims we can predict all outcomes, plan contingencies, and execute perfectly. The agile manifesto has something to say about this topic as well. Traditional project management has given scope creep a bad name. Still, the truth of the matter is that, at any given point, we know the least we’re ever going to about a project because we acquire new information.

Realistic –We shall be able to achieve the goals for the project with the resources we have. Testable– All members of the team need a clear and precise way to verify whether or not a User Story has been completed. Small– User Stories should be small enough that they are able to be completed within a sprint. Valuable– The business value of any User Story should be readily recognizable by reading the story, and each story should represent some sort of value to a specific user type. On the one hand, using a Product Backlog as the sole source of requirements makes it easier for the team to identify what should be done and with what priority. However, without a Story Map, the Product Backlog may become confusing due to its extension and lack of visibility regarding interdependencies and decomposition.

Be a Great Product Owner: Six Things Teams and Scrum Masters Need

It may evolve based on a wide range of parameters, such as a change in organization’s strategy, a shift in the market or user behavior, or the arrival of a new competitor. From developing business strategies for our clients to building teams and ensuring teamwork at every level, he runs the show quite effortlessly. Everyone wants to achieve their goals, but nothing gets done if you don’t take any action towards them. So, here’s a checklist that will help you track your progress and keep your backlog in check. Once the team has prioritized their Product Backlog, they should start at the top of the list and work down.

And unless you have a polished backlog, your mission guide will get you no further than the first page of your backlog. We hope the backlog refinement tips shared in this blog helped you answer that question. Don’t refine or polish the backlog of the current sprint until it ends, even if there is time left.

Keeping the product backlog clean

Every week we’d review the project plan, and every week we shifted dates. Is your product backlog so overgrown that it’s starting to become a hindrance rather than an advantage? Keep reading to add another acronym to your tool belt and learn how to whip your Product Backlog into shape. Clear, clean backlogs are powerful tools that keep teams aligned and informed, identify top priorities, and help projects move forward efficiently.