Product backlogs maintain all of the identified options that can finally discover their means 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 fitting options, you will need to construct them in the fitting order. Listed below are the 5 key issues to think about when excited about methods to prioritize the product backlog.
Issue 1: Worth
Let’s begin with the biggie: worth. And whereas it’s a given to think about how beneficial a characteristic shall be, worth is a nebulous time period.
Worth is a measure of the usefulness or impression on a specific viewers. Most work an agile growth groups will pursue shall be beneficial to customers. However different work could also be beneficial simply to the staff itself. Nonetheless different work could also be to customers, stakeholders, and staff members.
For instance, think about refactoring: bettering 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 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 excited about the worth of a characteristic, it may be vital to consider how the worth of a characteristic degrades over time. A characteristic is likely to be very beneficial in the present day however a lot much less beneficial 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 probably type their league on one other platform. The price of delay on this case was immense.
Issue 2: Price
The second factor to think about when prioritizing is the associated fee. The biggest price is normally the product staff’s effort to develop a characteristic. Most groups use story factors to estimate the trouble of product backlog gadgets. Others estimate that effort in person-days, ideally suited time, or different comparable models.
In some instances there could also be further prices that ought to be thought of. A present widespread consideration? The continuing price of delivering options that depend on numerous AI merchandise. These merchandise typically embrace small per-use charges however these can actually add up at scale.
Whatever the unit during 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 ought 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 think about when prioritizing is that this: How a lot will a staff study by doing a specific product backlog merchandise? Should you’ll study one thing by growing a backlog merchandise, you will probably need to develop that merchandise early so you’ve time to behave on no matter you’ve realized.
Should you study one thing too late, you gained’t have time to learn from the brand new data.
Studying can take two types. It may be in regards to the product or the venture.
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 find it irresistible, think about eradicating the characteristic or reducing the precedence of associated options.
Studying in regards to the Challenge
Studying in regards to the venture refers to data staff members acquire about methods 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 similar 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 elements of the product or venture?
Remember about studying when excited about agile backlog prioritization. A characteristic’s potential for instructing the staff and its stakeholders one thing about consumer wants or venture realities is likely to be purpose sufficient to make it a prime precedence.
Issue 4: Threat
The fourth issue to think about when prioritizing is the chance inherent in growing the product backlog merchandise. If one thing is dangerous and you want to do it, do it early. You need to know whether or not that threat goes to materialize.
Alternatively, if a characteristic is dangerous and you could not must develop it, delay engaged on it till it turns into clear you want to 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 vital for delivering different gadgets. When that’s the case, the enabling however lower-priority merchandise must be moved larger on the backlog to be able to be accomplished earlier than the merchandise depending on it.
For instance, 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 wished 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 should be accomplished till a day or two earlier than the summer time camp opened, however that merchandise was prioritized larger 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 Methods
Many prioritization frameworks exist that can assist you think about 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 ought to be thought of even when not explicitly a part of these fashions.
You’ll be able to, nevertheless, obtain a stack rating of product backlog gadgets by simply considering by means of these 5 elements. When doing that, I don’t advocate combining them by means of some fancy formulation. The worth of a characteristic and its price–our first and second elements–are a very powerful. So prioritize first primarily based 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 gained’t be accomplished for an additional 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 elements is important.
5 Elements for Efficient Prioritization
On agile and Scrum groups, product homeowners are chargeable for holding the product backlog ordered by precedence. An easy technique to strategy this, with out using any formal product backlog prioritization strategies, is to maintain 5 elements in thoughts. Assume first about worth and price. Then think about different elements that have an effect on a product backlog merchandise’s precedence: studying, threat, and dependencies.
If you do that as a part of your agile planning efforts, your groups won’t solely construct the fitting issues, they’re going to construct them in the fitting order.