Building Effective Backlogs

Agile First Steps:
Building Effective Backlogs

Ian Spence, CTO
www.ivarjacobson.com
A quick introduction to scrum
Copyright © 2011 Ivar Jacobson International SA. All rights reserved

2
Introducing the product and sprint backlogs
Most
Important
Tasks are defined
New stories are (from the selected
prioritized, estimated product backlog
and added to the stack. Most
items) and
Stories can be re- important prioritized to be
prioritized or removed items form undertaken during
at any time. objectives for the sprint
Items at the top of the the Sprint.
list should be well
defined.
Product
Backlog
Least
Important

3
When backlogs go bad
business
priority /
value
Epic
Product
Epic
Backlog
Epic Epic Epic
Epic Epic
Stories and other Requirements
Change Request
Defect
Tasks and other things

4
When good backlogs go bad

5
Agenda
Most
Important
Tasks are defined
items) and
list should be well
defined.
Product
Backlog
Least
Important

6
What is a product backlog?
The Product Backlog is an ordered list of everything that might

be needed in the product and is the single source of
requirements for any changes to be made to the product.
K Schwaber & J Sutherland, The Scrum Guide, 2011.

7
What is a product backlog?
Ideas Storytelling Ready

(Preparation and Investigation) for Dev
The Product Backlog is an ordered list of everything that might

be needed in the product and is the single source of
requirements for any changes to be made to the product.

8
What makes a good Product Backlog Item?
The Product Backlog lists all features, functions, requirements,

enhancements, and fixes that constitute the changes to be made to the
product in future releases.
My Product Backlog is…
Detailed Appropriately
Estimated
Emergent
Prioritized
Source: Roman Pichler & Mike Cohn Source :Bill Wake
Product Backlog items have the attributes of a description, order, and

estimate.

9
The Importance of Ordering
Most Important
What we’ve done.
What we’ll do next.
Where we’ll finish...

..at our slowest velocity (5x 28)
..at our long-term average (5 x33)

..at our best velocity (5 x 37)
…in another 5 Sprints.

Least
Important
Pending Release
(To Be Investigated) Backlog
Adapted from Mike Cohn’s blog: ‘Why There Should Not Be a “Release Backlog”’ 10
Bringing order from chaos
Define Backlog
Items
Agree to Backlog
Item Business
Value & Priority
+ Priority
Estimate Relative
Backlog + Effort
Item Effort
+ Risk Product
Identify & Assess
Backlog Item Risk Backlog
+ Order
Establish
Ordered
Backlog

11
Where do new items come from….
The Big Picture Stories Release Done

Backlog
Change Requests Supporting Definitions
S/H Requests Operational Defects

12
Prepare the most important items for development

Backlog
You could keep

preparing
backlog items
Change Requests Supporting Definitions Ready
until the release

backlog is full….
S/H Requests
….orOperational
youDefects could
get started Possible

13
Remembering to Continuously Work on Your Backlog
Change
Priorities will More will be Requests will
change.
The Big Picture got ready. Stories
be made Release Done
Backlog
Re-write
Is it a new
Change Requests story? Definitionsor refine.
Supporting Ready
Is it a tweak to an
existing story?
Does it change
the order?
S/H Requests
Is it a new use case,Operational Defects
epic or theme?
Does it affect the Possible
current work?
Is it just a distraction?

14
Don’t Restrict Yourself to One View

15
Is your product backlog a funnel….
…or an ice-berg?
16
What do you need to get started

Backlog
Change Requests Supporting Definitions
S/H Requests Operational Defects

17
Agenda
Most
Important
Tasks are defined
items) and
list should be well
defined.
Product
Backlog
Least
Important

18
What is a Sprint Backlog?
A B C
Least Popular Most Popular Chosen by Ken Schwaber
Source: Scrum Guide Updates::The New, New Sprint Backlog by David Starr with Ryan Cromwell
http://www.scrum.org/scrum-guide-updates
19
Where do Sprint Backlog Items come from?
And then return

them when they
are done?
Don’t we just
take the top
items from the
Product Backlog?

20
Understanding Done, Done Done, and Done Done Done
Inc #1
Release
Backlog
21
Inc #1 Inc #2
Release
Backlog
22
Releas
Release
e
Ready
Ready Release #1
Releas
Op’s
e
IncReady
#3
Ready
Inc #1 Inc #2
Release
Backlog
23
What happens at the beginning of a Sprint?
Objectives To Do In Progress Blocked Complete Done
WARNING !
Sprint Full
Overheads
In-Flight Defects Impediments
1 2 3
24
What happens during a sprint?
Objectives To Do
Execute Test
In Progress Blocked Complete Done
for Story # 1
And so
Overheads
on…..
1 2 3
25
What happens at the end?
And so
Overheads
on…..
1
In-Flight Defects
2
until 3
Impediments

26
What happens at the beginning of the next iteration
WARNING !
Sprint Full
Overheads
1 2 3
27
How are the Product and Sprint Backlogs related?
Push every
sprint.
Pull as
needed

28
Using Kanban to focus the release backlog
10
Release Analysis 3 Dev 4 Test 2 Live
Backlog On-Going Done On-Going Done On-Going Done
One-piece flow to get the work done.

29
Wrap Up

30
Some simple do’s and don’ts
Alwa Have a
Don’t
Don’t ys stagi Alway
just
try know ng / s know
have
to your prepa where
a
orde top ratio you’re
sing
r 10. n area going
le
ever
Don’t big
Don’t Keep Allow
ythi
slavi list
put in- Contin
the non-
ng
shly flight uously
big PBI
apply defect inspec sprint
pictu
other s in t & object
re
peopl your adapt ives
visib
e’s produc your
Don’t le at
board t backlo
put all
s backlo gs
change times
reques g
ts in
your
releas
e
backlo
g

31
It’s time to go 3D

32
33
For questions, feel free to contact me, Ian Spence, at
ispence@ivarjacobson.com
White papers and other resources can be downloaded from

www.ivarjacobson.com

34

Building Effective Backlogs

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Building Effective Backlogs

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Agile First Steps:

Building Effective Backlogs

Copyright © 2011 Ivar Jacobson International SA. All rights reserved

Copyright © 2011 Ivar Jacobson International SA. All rights reserved

Copyright © 2011 Ivar Jacobson International SA. All rights reserved

Copyright © 2011 Ivar Jacobson International SA. All rights reserved

Copyright © 2011 Ivar Jacobson International SA. All rights reserved

The Product Backlog is an ordered list of everything that might

Copyright © 2011 Ivar Jacobson International SA. All rights reserved

Ideas Storytelling Ready

The Product Backlog is an ordered list of everything that might

Copyright © 2011 Ivar Jacobson International SA. All rights reserved

The Product Backlog lists all features, functions, requirements,

My Product Backlog is…

Product Backlog items have the attributes of a description, order, and

Copyright © 2011 Ivar Jacobson International SA. All rights reserved

What we’ll do next.

Where we’ll finish...

..at our long-term average (5 x33)

…in another 5 Sprints.

Copyright © 2011 Ivar Jacobson International SA. All rights reserved

The Big Picture Stories Release Done

Change Requests Supporting Definitions

S/H Requests Operational Defects

Copyright © 2011 Ivar Jacobson International SA. All rights reserved

The Big Picture Stories Release Done

You could keep

until the release

Copyright © 2011 Ivar Jacobson International SA. All rights reserved

Copyright © 2011 Ivar Jacobson International SA. All rights reserved

Copyright © 2011 Ivar Jacobson International SA. All rights reserved

The Big Picture Stories Release Done

Change Requests Supporting Definitions

S/H Requests Operational Defects

Copyright © 2011 Ivar Jacobson International SA. All rights reserved

Copyright © 2011 Ivar Jacobson International SA. All rights reserved

And then return

Copyright © 2011 Ivar Jacobson International SA. All rights reserved

Objectives To Do In Progress Blocked Complete Done

In-Flight Defects Impediments

Objectives To Do In Progress Blocked Complete Done

Copyright © 2011 Ivar Jacobson International SA. All rights reserved

Objectives To Do In Progress Blocked Complete Done

In-Flight Defects Impediments

Copyright © 2011 Ivar Jacobson International SA. All rights reserved

One-piece flow to get the work done.

Copyright © 2011 Ivar Jacobson International SA. All rights reserved

Copyright © 2011 Ivar Jacobson International SA. All rights reserved

Copyright © 2011 Ivar Jacobson International SA. All rights reserved

White papers and other resources can be downloaded from

Copyright © 2011 Ivar Jacobson International SA. All rights reserved

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