Product Backlog in Scrum
Importance and Features of the Product Backlog
A product backlog is an ordered list of each item needed in the product.
The backlog may contain new features or improvements for existing fixes or changes that need to be made to the product.
The properties of a backlog item depend on the product or area of development work; Typically an item will have properties such as description, order, size and value.
The product backlog items contain acceptance criteria to help test whether work has been completed.
The only person responsible for the product backlog is the product owner. The activity of making changes to the product backlog is called Product Backlog Management.
How to create and manage a Product Backlog?
Everything starts with a goal or vision. The product owner is expected to define the features that the product should have.
The product owner will seek to understand the business needs by constantly collaborating with stakeholders, paying attention to market conditions and considering other relevant sources of information.
The product owner adds features or ideas to the product backlog that they think are relevant to the product. In other words, all items that will help achieve the product goal should be included in the product backlog.
The product goal is a commitment to the product backlog. No product goal runs parallel. Focus on only one product goal at a time.
Managing the product backlog is an ongoing process. The product owner is accountable for the product backlog and can reorder, add, or delete product backlog items at any time.
It makes sense for the product owner to work closely with the developer team. During the elaboration of the product backlog, the product owner and developers collaborate to break it down into smaller items. The smaller the items, the better.
The product backlog will include details, size and priority. The size of an item indicates how big or small the effort is to get the job done. The process of finding the size of an item is called sizing or estimating. The developers who will do the work are responsible for the forecasting and have the final word.
The product backlog is not complete as long as the product lives and is subject to constant change. Product backlog grows with the product itself and varies with business needs, market conditions, or other factors.
The product backlog items that can be made in the next sprint are considered ready for selection. This means that the items are small enough to fit into a sufficiently detailed sprint, and developers can start working on them right away. In other words, a product backlog item is ready when the scrum team agrees they can do it.
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