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When teams use Scrum to build complex products, they don't start by writing code or designing features. They start with a vision. The Product Backlog is one of the most important elements in Scrum that turns a vision into work that can be accomplished.
The Product Backlog is more than a list of tasks to accomplish. It represents the evolving plan for what the product needs, encompassing all features, improvements, bugs, and tests that must be addressed to ensure its functionality.
As per Scrumguide - “The Product Backlog is an ordered list of everything that is known to be needed in the product. It is the single source of the requirement for any changes to be made to the product.”
To get value from Scrum, it's important for everyone involved, whether you're a Product Owner, a developer, or a stakeholder, to know how the Product Backlog is set up, who owns it, and how it changes.
In this blog post, we'll discuss what Product Backlog Items (PBIs) are, how they are managed, and what it truly means for a backlog to be clear, not just visible.
What are Product Backlog Items (PBIs)?
The Product Backlog consists of Product Backlog Items (PBIs), which represent individual requirements. You can think of them as the components that comprise the process of creating your product.
These are documented in tools such as excel, JIRA, TFS and many more. Also, they are made available/accessible to the scrum team and stakeholders.
Who Owns the Product Backlog?
This is a very important question for using Scrum. The Product Owner is the only person who can own and manage the Scrum Product Backlog. The Product Owner has a few important jobs, such as:
Putting the items in the Product Backlog in order of their business value
Making sure that everyone can see, understand, and see the Product Backlog
Working with stakeholders to figure out and improve requirements
Deciding what to build and when to build it
Using the backlog to share the vision for the product
The Product Owner owns the backlog, but the whole Scrum Team works together to improve and estimate the PBIs.
Difference Between Product Backlog and Sprint Backlog
The Development Team picks and commits to a small part of the Product Backlog for a specific Sprint, which is called the Sprint Backlog.
The Challenge From Visibility to Transparency
When scrum Product Backlog initially takes its shape, it is available to the team and stakeholders. However, it doesn't help in making any decisions and observations and hence is only visible.
What Makes a Product Backlog Transparent?
The Product backlog raises transparency when the business can take decisions based on what is available in the Product Backlog. To make the Product Backlog transparent, the Product Owner works with stakeholders and the team for an understanding of the value and estimate of the work and then orders the backlog for maximizing its value.
How PBIs Evolve During Product Development?
As product development progresses, the Product Backlog undergoes continuous refinement through three key processes:
1. Business Value Assignment
The business value for the PBIs in the Product Backlog helps with prioritization. The Product Owner runs a variety of workshops with stakeholders and the team to add value to the Product Backlog Items. Commonly used techniques for assigning values include 500 Value Points, Value Poker, and buying a feature, among others.
2. Product Backlog Refinement
Refining the bigger Product Backlog Items, here, more information regarding the requirement is discussed within the team. And also, the requirement(Product Backlog Item) in the Product Backlog gets decomposed for a better understanding, implementation, and estimation.
3. Strategic Planning and Roadmapping
The further deposition of the backlog and techniques such as value stream, story mapping, customer journey, value proposition, etc helps to define the minimum viable product (MVP) and Product roadmap, where it presents what Product features will be delivered at what timelines and in releases.
These techniques help define the minimum viable product (MVP) and Product roadmap, which presents what product features will be delivered at what timelines and in which releases.
Achieving Transparency Through Continuous Improvement
Product backlog raises transparency to the team and Stakeholders by continuously inspecting and adapting Also, forecast the roadmap and release strategies to them.
Product Owner forecasts on the Product Backlog every sprint
When your Product Backlog is ordered and estimated; it reflects on the Product Roadmap; making it easier for stakeholders to plan their work well. Similar to marketing and sales professionals who plan for the campaign for the new feature releases of the Product or launching the product.
A good technique for the predictability and forecasting of the Product Backlog could be the velocity of the team. The velocity is often confused with the productivity of the team. In my next blog, I shall discuss what velocity is all about and how this can be used as a tool for the Scrum team’s predictability and forecastability.
Key Takeaways
The Product Owner is responsible for maintaining the Scrum Product Backlog, ensuring it remains clear, prioritized, and aligned with the company's goals.
Knowing the difference between the Product Backlog and the Sprint Backlog is crucial because it enables Scrum to function more effectively.
Ongoing refinement, delivering business value, and prioritizing backlog items effectively help make the Scrum process more transparent.
The Product Backlog is the primary repository for all product requirements. It tells the team what to do and how to do it.
Regularly predicting backlog items enables stakeholders to plan and make informed decisions.
To help with this, different methods are used for assigning value, refining the backlog, and planning the roadmap.
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In the context of the Product Backlog, transparency means that all stakeholders have a clear understanding of the items, their priorities, and the rationale behind them. It also implies openness and honesty in communication, where information is readily available and accessible to everyone involved.
Product backlog transparency refers to making the product backlog visible, clear, and accessible to all stakeholders. It means everyone can see what work items exist, their priority, and their current status. The backlog should be easily understood by both technical and non-technical team members.
Transparency, on the other hand, goes beyond mere visibility and involves providing customers with full access to information about their shipments and the logistics process." One of the key differences between visibility and transparency is the level of information provided.
In an Agile team, the product owner maintains the product backlog. Their responsibilities include defining user stories, prioritizing backlog items, and aligning the backlog with stakeholder needs and business objectives.
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Sumeet Madan
With a remarkable 18-year tenure in software engineering, agile training, coaching, and consulting, Sumeet's expertise is unparalleled. As a certified Professional Scrum Trainer (PST) from Scrum.org and a distinguished SAFe® Practice Consultant (SPC), Sumeet brings a wealth of knowledge and skill to every project, making a lasting impact on organizations seeking to embrace Agile methodologies.
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