Product backlogs maintain all of the recognized options that may finally discover their manner into the product. Whether or not these product backlog gadgets take the type of consumer tales, job tales, or only a easy sentence or two, it is important to order the backlog in order that groups are at all times creating the very best precedence options. Along with constructing the correct options, it is very important construct them in the correct order. Listed below are the 5 key issues to contemplate when eager about learn 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 helpful a characteristic shall be, worth is a nebulous time period.
Worth is a measure of the usefulness or influence on a specific viewers. Most work an agile growth groups will pursue shall be helpful to customers. However different work could also be helpful simply to the staff itself. Nonetheless different work could also be to customers, stakeholders, and staff members.
For instance, think about refactoring: enhancing the construction however not the habits 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 often 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 eager about the worth of a characteristic, it may be essential to consider how the worth of a characteristic degrades over time. A characteristic may be very helpful as we speak however a lot much less helpful 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 out there on draft day, gamers would doubtless kind their league on one other platform. The price of delay on this case was immense.
Issue 2: Value
The second factor to contemplate when prioritizing is the associated fee. The most important value is often 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 related items.
In some instances there could also be further prices that needs to be thought-about. A present frequent consideration? The continuing value of delivering options that depend on varied AI merchandise. These merchandise typically embody small per-use charges however these can definitely add up at scale.
Whatever the unit through which a staff estimates their product backlog gadgets, the associated fee 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 increased 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 be taught by doing a specific product backlog merchandise? If you happen to’ll be taught one thing by creating a backlog merchandise, you will doubtless need to develop that merchandise early so you could have time to behave on no matter you’ve discovered.
If you happen to be taught one thing too late, you received’t have time to profit from the brand new data.
Studying can take two types. It may be in regards to the product or the undertaking.
Studying in regards to the Product
Studying in regards to the product happens when the staff develops a characteristic, and receives suggestions on it.
If customers love the characteristic, prioritize doing extra to reinforce the characteristic or creating extra issues prefer it. If customers don’t adore it, think about eradicating the characteristic or decreasing the precedence of associated options.
Studying in regards to the Mission
Studying in regards to the undertaking refers to data staff members acquire about learn how to develop the product or resolution. For instance, suppose a staff intends to construct a part of a product utilizing a expertise that staff members have by no means used earlier than.
When staff members develop the primary product backlog merchandise utilizing that new expertise, they may be taught issues about it equivalent to:
- Does the expertise work as promised?
- Ought to estimates for utilizing the brand new tech be revised?
- Can the expertise be utilized in different elements of the product or undertaking?
Do not forget about studying when eager about agile backlog prioritization. A characteristic’s potential for instructing the staff and its stakeholders one thing about consumer wants or undertaking realities may be motive sufficient to make it a high precedence.
Issue 4: Danger
The fourth issue to contemplate when prioritizing is the chance inherent in creating the product backlog merchandise. If one thing is dangerous and that you must do it, do it early. You need to know whether or not that threat goes to materialize.
Alternatively, if a characteristic is dangerous and chances are you’ll not have to develop it, delay engaged on it till it turns into clear that you must do it.
Issue 5: Dependencies
The ultimate issue it’s best to think about when prioritizing is dependencies between product backlog gadgets. Some gadgets is probably not excessive precedence on their very own, however they’re mandatory for delivering different gadgets. When that’s the case, the enabling however lower-priority merchandise must be moved increased on the backlog to be able to be carried out earlier than the merchandise depending on it.
For example, think about a summer time 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 needed to point out pictures of the shiny, newly painted canoes of their advertising and marketing.
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 carried out till a day or two earlier than the summer time camp opened, however that merchandise was prioritized increased within the product backlog as a result of the advertising and marketing pictures of the canoes wanted to be taken lengthy earlier than that.
Formal Backlog Prioritization Strategies
Many prioritization frameworks exist that can assist you think about these components towards 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 components I’ve listed right here needs to be thought-about even when not explicitly a part of these fashions.
You possibly can, nonetheless, obtain a stack rating of product backlog gadgets by simply considering by means of these 5 components. When doing that, I don’t advocate combining them by means of some fancy system. The worth of a characteristic and its value–our first and second components–are crucial. So prioritize first primarily based on value and worth, utilizing the opposite three components 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 carried out for one more three or 4 iterations primarily based on its worth and threat. At that time, think about studying, threat, and dependencies. Transfer the merchandise up an iteration or two if any of these components is important.
5 Elements for Efficient Prioritization
On agile and Scrum groups, product homeowners are answerable for maintaining the product backlog ordered by precedence. A simple solution to strategy this, with out using any formal product backlog prioritization strategies, is to maintain 5 components in thoughts. Assume first about worth and price. Then think about different components that have an effect on a product backlog merchandise’s precedence: studying, threat, and dependencies.
Whenever you do that as a part of your agile planning efforts, your groups is not going to solely construct the correct issues, they’re going to construct them in the correct order.
