A product backlog is more than a simple to-do list—it’s where you break down complex tasks into a series of steps and delegate them to team members. Follow these four steps to develop an effective product backlog. Occasionally, there are multiple product backlogs with multiple teams working on one larger product. Each of these smaller products would have its own product backlog and designated teams for development.
- The gateway to product development excellence begins in your backlog, so supercharge your Jira product management workflow today.
- Remember that the product backlog is a vehicle to create value.
- The team may establish a definition of ready to indicate their agreement on the information they’d like to have available in order to start working on a product backlog item.
- Technical debt, like financial debt, “accrues interest” when ignored.
If something new comes up or priorities shift, the list is updated, like if customers find a big problem with your product, that problem moves to the top of the list. Explore the meaning of a product backlog and get a hands-on guide on how to create and manage one efficiently with AI. Read on to find out what a product backlog includes and how to create one for your team. Product creation begins with an idea, and it takes a dedicated team to create something special.
How to create a product backlog
We’ve outlined backlog grooming even further in this video below. Although I named user stories a type of product backlog item, each team can choose what fits them best. A backlog is used with Agile techniques such as Scrum or Kanban. It helps ensure that all tasks are identified and tracked and that each task is assigned to the appropriate individual. The backlog is also used as a communication tool between the project team and stakeholders. It can be used to show the progress of the project and any issues or impediments that have arisen.
- The roadmap is the vision for long-term product development, but it can also evolve.
- Keep your stories as invitations for conversations and refine them with your teams.
- However, backlog grooming can also be delegated to team members so they’re more involved in their projects and understand what needs to be done at all times.
- Story Maps and information radiators can provide a clear picture of your backlog for the team and stakeholders.
The Product Owner may influence the Developers by helping them understand and select trade-offs. One Product Backlog is used to describe the upcoming work on the product. As described in the Scrum Guide, the Product Backlog is an emergent, ordered list of what is needed to improve the product. Agile has had a huge impact on me both professionally and personally as I’ve learned the best experiences are agile, both in code and in life. You’ll often find me at the intersection of technology, photography, and motorcycling.
Commitment: Sprint Goal
These will vary in complexity, but owners will need to elaborate on them as they approach the top of the list and become action items. Product Backlog is a prioritized to-do list that comes after you paint the bigger picture with a Product Roadmap. It simplifies complex ideas by breaking them into more digestible parts. Get prepared omission for a successful backlog grooming session with our free checklist. Let’s say your initiative is to develop a content strategy for your upcoming marketing campaign. Breaking it down into smaller chunks of tasks will provide your team with a clear work breakdown structure (WBS) and offer transparency to your stakeholders.
Tasks
LogRocket simplifies workflows by allowing Engineering, Product, UX, and Design teams to work from the same data as you, eliminating any confusion about what needs to be done. Your job isn’t to populate the product backlog with all your stakeholders’ wishes. You must ensure your items contribute value and are related to a common goal. The items inside of your product backlog enable your team to get a step closer to the goals you’re pursuing. The product backlog item types described above intend to simplify how you work and set clear expectations for each type.
Discover how the AI-powered app, Motion, can revolutionize this process and streamline your task management effortlessly. However, creating and maintaining an effective backlog isn’t without challenges. Product development is overwhelming, especially when juggling numerous tasks and constantly shifting priorities. Although the Sprint Goal is a commitment by the Developers, it provides flexibility in terms of the exact work needed to achieve it.
Manage your backlog with Motion
Technical debt, like financial debt, “accrues interest” when ignored. When developers push technical work to the bottom of the product backlog, it builds up and becomes harder to accomplish. Effective backlog management can prevent the buildup of technical debt. When your team stays organized and takes on technical work in smaller, daily increments, you’re less likely to accrue interest on a huge piece of work.
The team can then prioritize consideration of that idea alongside other items, and remove the product backlog item if the idea proves to not provide progress toward the desired outcome. Electronic boards are the better option for a team that has remote members or collects a great deal of supplementary information about product backlog items. Physical boards offer the advantage of making the product backlog continuously visible and concrete during discussions around the product backlog. Once the team chooses the roadmap, the backlog serves as a source for specific development items.
It can be used to prioritize tasks, track progress, and identify areas of improvement. By having a backlog, organizations can ensure that tasks are completed in the most efficient way possible, and that resources are used in the most effective manner. If a team starts using an electronic tool before they have settled on their approach to product backlog management, the tool can drive a team’s approach to product backlog management. The team may also get hung up on how to use the tool rather than selecting the process that works best for them.
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