Product backlogs maintain all of the identified options that can finally discover their manner into the product. Whether or not these product backlog gadgets take the type of person tales, job tales, or only a easy sentence or two, it is important to order the backlog in order that groups are all the time creating the best precedence options. Along with constructing the appropriate options, it is very important construct them in the appropriate order. Listed here are the 5 key issues to contemplate when interested by find out how to prioritize the product backlog.
Issue 1: Worth
Let’s begin with the biggie: worth. And whereas it’s a given to contemplate how priceless a characteristic might be, worth is a nebulous time period.
Worth is a measure of the usefulness or influence on a selected viewers. Most work an agile improvement groups will pursue might be priceless to customers. However different work could also be priceless simply to the staff itself. Nonetheless different work could also be to customers, stakeholders, and staff members.
For instance, contemplate refactoring: bettering the construction however not the conduct of code. As a result of it makes code extra maintainable or simpler to vary, refactoring is of excessive worth to builders.
The price of refactoring is normally justified, although, as a result of it advantages customers, too. If code is extra maintainable, customers ought to expertise fewer bugs. Equally, improved code signifies that customers ought to obtain new options in that space of the product a bit extra rapidly. (For extra methods to justify prioritizing refactoring, see “4 Methods to Persuade a Product Proprietor to Prioritize Refactoring.”)
When interested by the worth of a characteristic, it may be necessary to consider how the worth of a characteristic degrades over time. A characteristic is perhaps very priceless at the moment however a lot much less priceless later.
One of many strongest examples I noticed of this got here whereas working with a staff making software program to assist fantasy sports activities leagues. Sure options wanted to be there on draft day, when all gamers chosen their groups. If the characteristic wasn’t obtainable on draft day, gamers would seemingly type their league on one other platform. The price of delay on this case was immense.
Issue 2: Price
The second factor to contemplate when prioritizing is the price. The most important price is normally the product staff’s effort to develop a characteristic. Most groups use story factors to estimate the hassle of product backlog gadgets. Others estimate that effort in person-days, perfect time, or different comparable items.
In some circumstances there could also be further prices that needs to be thought-about. A present widespread consideration? The continued price of delivering options that depend on numerous AI merchandise. These merchandise usually embrace small per-use charges however these can actually add up at scale.
Whatever the unit through which a staff estimates their product backlog gadgets, the price to develop and assist a characteristic ought to issue into an merchandise’s precedence. For instance, an merchandise a staff estimates as 5 needs to be prioritized larger than a characteristic estimated at 20 if all else is equal. That is true it doesn’t matter what estimation unit the staff is utilizing.
Issue 3: Studying
A second issue to contemplate when prioritizing is that this: How a lot will a staff study by doing a selected product backlog merchandise? In the event you’ll study one thing by creating a backlog merchandise, you may seemingly wish to develop that merchandise early so you could have time to behave on no matter you’ve discovered.
In the event you study one thing too late, you received’t have time to learn from the brand new information.
Studying can take two kinds. It may be concerning the product or the mission.
Studying concerning the Product
Studying concerning the product happens when the staff develops a characteristic, and receives suggestions on it.
If customers love the characteristic, prioritize doing extra to boost the characteristic or creating extra issues prefer it. If customers don’t adore it, contemplate eradicating the characteristic or decreasing the precedence of associated options.
Studying concerning the Challenge
Studying concerning the mission refers to information staff members achieve about find out how to develop the product or answer. For instance, suppose a staff intends to construct a part of a product utilizing a know-how that staff members have by no means used earlier than.
When staff members develop the primary product backlog merchandise utilizing that new know-how, they’ll study issues about it corresponding to:
- Does the know-how work as promised?
- Ought to estimates for utilizing the brand new tech be revised?
- Can the know-how be utilized in different components of the product or mission?
Do not forget about studying when interested by agile backlog prioritization. A characteristic’s potential for educating the staff and its stakeholders one thing about person wants or mission realities is perhaps motive sufficient to make it a high precedence.
Issue 4: Danger
The fourth issue to contemplate when prioritizing is the danger inherent in creating the product backlog merchandise. If one thing is dangerous and it’s essential do it, do it early. You wish to know whether or not that danger goes to materialize.
However, if a characteristic is dangerous and chances are you’ll not have to develop it, delay engaged on it till it turns into clear it’s essential do it.
Issue 5: Dependencies
The ultimate issue you need to contemplate when prioritizing is dependencies between product backlog gadgets. Some gadgets is probably not excessive precedence on their very own, however they’re needed for delivering different gadgets. When that’s the case, the enabling however lower-priority merchandise must be moved larger on the backlog as a way to be performed earlier than the merchandise depending on it.
For instance, contemplate a summer season camp I helped to make use of Scrum. Amongst their product backlog gadgets was repainting all of the canoes. That was high-priority, as a result of they wished to point out images of the shiny, newly painted canoes of their advertising.
However portray the canoes was depending on one other backlog merchandise: sand and restore any canoes that want it.
Technically, repairing the canoes didn’t must be performed till a day or two earlier than the summer season camp opened, however that merchandise was prioritized larger within the product backlog as a result of the advertising images of the canoes wanted to be taken lengthy earlier than that.
Formal Backlog Prioritization Strategies
Many prioritization frameworks exist that will help you contemplate these elements in opposition to each other extra granularly together with the Kano Mannequin, the RICE scoring mannequin, and relative weighting. Even with these formal strategies, when making a product roadmap, the elements I’ve listed right here needs to be thought-about even when not explicitly a part of these fashions.
You’ll be able to, nonetheless, obtain a stack rating of product backlog gadgets by simply pondering via these 5 elements. When doing that, I don’t suggest combining them via some fancy formulation. The worth of a characteristic and its price–our first and second elements–are crucial. So prioritize first based mostly on price and worth, utilizing the opposite three elements to regulate priorities and resolve conflicts.
For instance, suppose a product proprietor or product supervisor has prioritized an merchandise such that it received’t be performed for one more three or 4 iterations based mostly on its worth and danger. At that time, contemplate studying, danger, and dependencies. Transfer the merchandise up an iteration or two if any of these elements is critical.
5 Components for Efficient Prioritization
On agile and Scrum groups, product homeowners are liable for retaining the product backlog ordered by precedence. An easy solution to strategy this, with out using any formal product backlog prioritization methods, is to maintain 5 elements in thoughts. Suppose first about worth and value. Then contemplate different elements that have an effect on a product backlog merchandise’s precedence: studying, danger, and dependencies.
If you do that as a part of your agile planning efforts, your groups won’t solely construct the appropriate issues, they’re going to construct them in the appropriate order.