Backlog and more part I

Product Backlog Management can be a real challenge. Also because a lot of individuals are involved and often the knowing is missing, about this topic. For many people, it’s just a list with tasks.
I’m a person, who likes to think out of the box. And because the world of agile is to very diverse, by offering countless options, wich can be put together., I try to give our customer and the colleagues in my team(s) an individual experience. I must write a book for children about the colorful and phantastic world of agile ;). Now it will write about my thoughts due to Backlog Management, which are very diverse. Let’s go:

I was happy, when I saw the changes in the Scrum Guide 2020. The why had gained importance. For me, it’s one of the most imprtant changes. In the Netherlands, we want to know, why we have to do things. Knowing why we do something, makes the task more senseful.

This also goes for the sprint goal. Of course it is easy to say, hwat the team is going to do. But why gives the team a deepr understanding about their value and the reason why this or that has to be done. Not only Sales, Project Manager and Prduct Owner need a deep understanding of and empathy for the customer, the developers are very important as well! This is, unfortunately, often ignored.

Understanding the “Why”: Knowing the purpose behind each feature or User Story is crucial. This ensures that the team builds products that genuinely meet the needs and desires of the end-users, leading to higher customer satisfaction.
Prioritization: Prioritizing the backlog effectively allows the team to deliver the most valuable features first. This not only provides immediate value to the client but also allows for swift adjustments based on feedback.
Transparency with Developers: Open communication ensures that developers understand the goals and requirements, reducing misunderstandings and increasing efficiency. Transparency fosters trust and collaboration within the team.
Discussing User Stories with the Team: Collaborative discussions help ensure that everyone is on the same page. It allows team members to ask questions, voice concerns, and contribute ideas, leading to a more refined and achievable set of requirements. This is of utmost impertance, because it siganlises the trust in the team and their expertise and it shows esteem for the colleagues. This motivates and that brings a good mood.
Feedback on User Stories and Acceptance Criteria: Seeking feedback is essential for continuous improvement. Acceptance criteria should be clear and testable, providing a definite way to measure when a User Story is complete.
- Balance in Acceptance Criteria: It’s important to strike the right balance. Too few acceptance criteria might lead to ambiguity, while too many could restrict the development team’s ability to find the best technical solutions. Aim for criteria that are comprehensive yet concise.

A bit more 🙂

Some things, I wrote already before, bit I’ve learned that it can’t be said too ofte.

Regular Backlog Refinement: Continuously update and refine the backlog based on feedback and changing priorities. This keeps the team aligned with the project’s goals.
Stakeholder Engagement: Keep open lines of communication with all stakeholders to ensure their needs and expectations are being met.
Empower the Team: Trust your development team’s expertise. Encourage them to suggest improvements or alternative solutions that might better achieve the desired outcomes.

User Story Mapping

This is also a topic which is often ignored. Due to the customer’s budget or mssing knowledge in the company.

User Story Mapping Is Epic-Based

Epics as the Foundation

High-Level Activities: In User Story Mapping, the top-level groupings along the horizontal axis are often major user activities or goals, which can be considered epics.
User Journey Representation: These epics represent the steps a user takes to accomplish a particular task or achieve a goal within the product.

2. Breaking Down Epics into User Stories

User Stories: Under each epic, you list user stories that detail specific functionalities or requirements needed to support that high-level activity.
Granularity: This breakdown allows teams to focus on delivering incremental value by completing individual user stories that contribute to the larger epic.

3. Prioritization and Release Planning

Vertical Slice: By arranging user stories vertically based on priority, teams can plan releases that deliver the most critical features first.
Incremental Delivery: This approach enables the development of Minimum Viable Products (MVPs) and facilitates iterative improvements.

Benefits of Using Epics in User Story Mapping

1. Clarity and Focus

Big Picture View: Epics provide a clear understanding of the main functionalities and how they contribute to the overall product vision.
Structured Breakdown: Breaking epics into user stories ensures that every piece of work is aligned with higher-level objectives.

2. Improved Prioritization

Value Delivery: Prioritize user stories based on the value they deliver to the user and the business.
Dependency Management: Identify and manage dependencies between user stories within and across epics.

3. Enhanced Team Collaboration

Shared Understanding: Teams develop a common understanding of the product and user needs.
Efficient Planning: Facilitates better sprint and release planning by visualizing the workflow.

Implementing Epic-Based User Story Mapping

what are Epics?

An epic is a large body of work that can be broken down into a number of smaller tasks called user stories. Epics encapsulate a high-level objective or feature that delivers significant value to the user.

1. Identify User Activities (Epics)

User Research: Gather information about how users will interact with the product.
Define Epics: Outline the major activities or goals users will undertake.

2. Break Down into User Stories

Collaborative Workshops: Involve the team in brainstorming and writing user stories under each epic.
User Story Format: Use the standard format to maintain consistency (e.g., “As a [user], I want [goal] so that [benefit]”).

3. Arrange and Prioritize

Map Horizontally: Place epics in sequence to represent the user journey.
Stack Vertically: Prioritize user stories under each epic based on importance and dependencies.

4. Review and Refine

Iterative Process: Regularly revisit the user story map to make adjustments as needed.
Feedback Integration: Incorporate feedback from stakeholders and users to refine epics and user stories.

Again, a bit more 🙂

1. Flexibility

Dynamic Nature: Epics and user stories may evolve as more is learned about user needs and technical constraints.
Adjustments: Be prepared to split epics, merge user stories, or re-prioritize as the project progresses.

2. Alignment with Agile Practices

Backlog Management: The user story map complements the product backlog, providing a visual representation that aids in backlog grooming.
Sprint Planning: Use the map to select user stories for sprints that deliver coherent slices of functionality.

3. Communication Tool

Stakeholder Engagement: The visual nature of the user story map makes it an excellent tool for communicating plans and progress to stakeholders.
Team Alignment: Ensures everyone on the team understands the context and purpose of their work.