Product Backlog Flashcards
What is the Product Backlog?
The Product Backlog is one of the 3 Scrum artefacts.
The Product Backlog is an ordered list of the known and valuable work to create the product. It is the single source of work for the Scrum Team building the product.
When and Why is the Product Backlog updated?
Product Backlog items can be updated at any time.
Changes in business requirements, market conditions, or technology may cause changes in the Product Backlog.
Who manages the Product Backlog?
The Product Owner may do the work to manage the Product Backlog or may delegate the responsibility to others. However, the Product Owner always remains accountable for the Product Backlog.
What are Items in the Product Backlog called?
Items in the Product Backlog are known as Product Backlog items (PBI’s).
Product Backlog items often have the attributes of description, order and size.
Other attributes may be added. Attributes often vary with the domain of work.
Does the product backlog have to be transparent?
The Product Backlog must be made transparent. Anyone who has an interest in the product should have access to it. This allows meaningful conversations around order and content. This helps the Product Owner to maximise the value of the product by making more informed decisions.
What are User Stories used for?
User Stories are a good practice used by many Scrum Teams to capture and document Product Backlog items. It is a common, but not a mandatory practice.
What does an effective product owner do for the product backlog?
Effective Product Owners don’t let the Product Backlog get too long.
As it increases in size, more time and resources are required to manage and refine it, which will introduce waste and limit the Scrum Teams ability to deliver value.
A good practice is to keep the Product Backlog limited to items that really can be developed over a known period of time. Ideas and other unlikely work can be removed and stored elsewhere.
What tools are used to manage Product Backlogs?
There are many tools which can be used to manage a Product Backlog. The most simple tool is Post It notes and some wall space to stick them on. This approach has the advantage of simplicity and low cost, but may not be effective for larger products or where the Scrum Team is distributed. At this point, a digital tool will be helpful.
There are many digital tools available which range in features and cost. At the simple end is Trello which offers basic functionality. I use Trello to manage the Product Backlog for my training organisation and it works wonderfully for my needs.
At the higher end are Atlassian Jira and Microsoft Azure DevOps Server (formerly Team Foundation Server). These offer Enterprise level features including increased security and are the preferred choice of many larger organisations. Many other tools are also available.
