Concepts
A product backlog, while a driving force in Scrum execution, can easily become overly complicated, particularly when multiple teams get involved. Understanding how to structure these complex or multi-team backlogs is an essential skill for a Certified Scrum Professional – ScrumMaster (CSP-SM). In the pursuit of maximizing its efficiency, there are cardinal criteria that can be employed to successfully structure such backlogs. They include prioritization, break down strategies, and dependency identification.
1. Prioritization:
One of the critical criteria for structuring a complex or multi-team Product Backlog is prioritization. Every item in the Product Backlog should be prioritized according to its urgency and importance. This method helps the team to work on the highest value tasks first. Various factors such as business value, customer value, and risk and uncertainty influence these priorities.
For instance, if you have two customer functionalities X and Y with X having a higher customer value, X should be prioritized higher, enabling Scrum teams to deliver high customer value early in the product’s life.
Table 1: Example of Prioritisation:
| Backlog Item | Customer Value | Business Value | Risk and Uncertainty | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Functionality X | High | Medium | Low | 1 |
| Functionality Y | Medium | Low | High | 2 |
2. Break-down strategies:
Breaking down complex user stories into more manageable tasks is another effective structuring method. Techniques such as Vertical Slicing (delivering small fully functional pieces of large stories) can be used to split large and complex user stories into smaller, manageable tasks. The aim here is to create independent, negotiable, valuable, estimable, and small and testable (INVEST) tasks that allow work to be shared across multiple facets that contribute to the complete functionality.
For example, if a mobile app feature requires front-end design, back-end services, and database integration, each component can be considered a single slice, which can be worked on independently in parallel by different teams, improving the overall productivity and delivery speed.
3. Dependency Identification:
The last fundamental criterion is to identify interdependencies among backlog items. In a multi-team environment, different teams could be working on related product backlogs. Understanding these dependencies allows for more efficient grooming and sprint planning, necessitating prior detailing and sequencing of related backlog items.
For instance, if there’s a set of user stories A, B, and C, and B cannot be started until A is complete, and C cannot be started until B is complete, then there is a clear dependency chain (A -> B -> C). This dependency identification helps structure the order in which the scrum teams will work on the user stories.
Table 2: Example of Dependency Identification
| Backlog Item | Dependency |
|---|---|
| User Story A | – |
| User Story B | A |
| User Story C | B |
In sum, to effectively manage a complex or multi-team product backlog, as a prospective Certified Scrum Professional – ScrumMaster (CSP-SM), employing these three criteria creates a structured approach that ensures efficiency and productivity. This structured approach contributes significantly to maximized value delivery, reduced waste, and improved team collaboration. By prioritizing items based on value, meticulously breaking down stories into manageable tasks, and outlining interdependencies, Scrum teams can navigate the complexity of multi-team product backlogs with utmost effectiveness and sophistication.
Answer the Questions in Comment Section
True or False: An efficient method to structure complex backlogs is by leveraging customer data.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Leveraging customer data can help prioritize features and products in the backlog according to customer needs which is an efficient way to structure complex backlogs.
In the context of structuring a complex or multi-team product backlog, which of the following is NOT a valid criterion?
- a) Feature hierarchy
- b) Risk profile
- c) Cost of development
- d) Weather conditions
Answer: d) Weather conditions
Explanation: While feature hierarchy, risk profile, and cost of development are all valid criteria, weather conditions have no known impact on backlog structuring.
True or False: The status of items in the backlog does not bear any relevance to structuring a complex or multi-team product backlog.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: The status of items in the backlog, such as whether they are completed or pending, is crucial in the structuring process.
Which of the following is a valid criterion for structuring a complex or multi-team product backlog?
- a) Customer usage data
- b) The individual developers’ preferred tasks
- c) The product owner’s mood
- d) The design of the team’s office space
Answer: a) Customer usage data
Explanation: Customer usage data is indicative of the features’ significance and their impact on overall customer satisfaction, thus it’s valuable for structuring backlogs.
Multiple select: Which of the following criteria can be used to structure a complex or multi-team product backlog?
- a) Risk level associated with each item
- b) Customer priority
- c) Estimated time for completion
- d) Availability of pizza for late-night coding sessions
Answer: a) Risk level associated with each item; b) Customer priority; c) Estimated time for completion
Explanation: Pizza availability is irrelevant but risk level, customer priority, and estimated time for completion are all significant factors in structuring backlogs.
True or False: Balancing emerging requirements can be used as a criterion for structuring a product backlog.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: Backlogs that can accommodate changing requirements over time maintain their relevance and effectiveness and are therefore well structured.
Which of these is NOT an effective way to structure a complex multi-team product backlog?
- a) Estimation value
- b) Ease of implementation
- c) Number of likes on the company’s social media page
- d) Dependencies among backlog items
Answer: c) Number of likes on the company’s social media page
Explanation: Social media likes are not a direct indicator of a product backlog’s importance or relevance.
True or False: The level of effort required to implement a feature should not be considered when structuring a product backlog.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: The level of effort is key in predicting timing and resources required, therefore it is important to consider when structuring a product backlog.
Which of these methods is NOT useful for structuring a complex multi-team product backlog?
- a) Business Value
- b) Team processes
- c) User story mapping
- d) Personas
Answer: b) Team processes
Explanation: While team processes are important for the overall functioning of the scrum team, they are less effective in structuring a complex multi-team product backlog.
True or False: The skillset of the team members can affect the structuring of the product backlog?
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: The abilities of the team members can determine the order in which backlog items are taken up. Therefore, it plays a role in structuring the product backlog.
In structuring a multi-team product backlog, what is an important consideration?
- a) The team’s snack preferences
- b) The company’s stock price
- c) Dependencies among teams
- d) The weather forecast
Answer: c) Dependencies among teams
Explanation: Understanding dependencies among teams can prevent delays and blockers, making this a crucial factor in structuring a complex, multi-team product backlog.
True or False: ROI (Return on Investment) is never a consideration when structuring a product backlog.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: ROI is an important criterion while structuring a backlog as it helps in prioritizing the features that would offer the highest returns.
Great insights on structuring a complex Product Backlog!
I think three good criteria could be business value, dependencies, and risk level. What do you think?
Can anyone share their experience managing dependencies across multiple teams?
Great post! Does anyone have thoughts on using feature-based teams for creating Product Backlogs?
Can we consider dependency management as one of the criteria for structuring a complex Product Backlog?
Thanks for this insightful post!
In my experience, prioritizing based on business value is crucial for complex Backlogs.
I didn’t find this post as useful as I expected. It needs more concrete examples.