A Lightning Cast is a shorter form episode modeled after lightning talks.  You’ll get valuable content in 8 minutes or less.

WHY ORDERING YOUR BACKLOG IS IMPORTANT

There are many reasons why having a healthy, ordered product backlog is important to teams.

WHEN TO ORDER THE BACKLOG

Ordering the backlog is not a one-time event.  The team must review priorities regularly and update the backlog order.  The backlog should be re-ordered whenever we learn new information.  This includes:

As organizational priorities change, the order of items in the backlog may change. This does not imply that one backlog item is more important than another item; it simply means that one item needs to be completed sooner than another item to meet program or organizational priorities.

It’s important to note that the backlog is not a To Do list.  The intention is not to complete all the backlog items in order.  Teams must continually seek feedback, learn, and adapt their approach and priorities, which the backlog should change frequently.

Once a team commits to an iteration (Sprint) plan, the priority of the committed backlog items should not change.

APPROACHES TO ORDERING YOUR BACKLOG

There are several ways to order the product backlog.

MoSCoW Prioritization: Gain initial clarity by considering how each backlog item contributes to the Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and then separate backlog items into one of four categories:

Value Based Prioritization: Consider the impact each backlog item will have on customers and the outcomes it will produce.  Items that contribute more value or create better outcomes should be done first.  When ordering by value, you should also consider:

Value-Complexity Matrix: When ordering your backlog, it’s helpful to consider both customer/business value as well as the effort and complexity needed to deliver that value.  A rapid, visual way of ordering your stories, features, or initiatives is with a Value-Complexity Matrix.

A Value-Complexity Matrix allows you to plot backlog items across two dimensions – business value and complexity/effort.  You should add each backlog item to the matrix relative to others (e.g., items higher in value are farther right and items that are more complex or require more effort are plotted higher on the matrix).

The example below shows a Value Complexity Matrix.  You can use this tool with the entire team to gain a shared understanding or as an initial step by the Product Owner to understand high level priorities and what should/should not be considered.

Backlog items that are high value and low complexity should be done first.  These are quick wins that add a lot of value.  Items high in value and moderate complexity should be done next.  Low value, low complexity items can be considered next.

For backlog items that are low in value and moderate complexity or high value and high complexity, you should carefully consider if they are worth doing or if there’s a simpler implementation that can bring value.

Backlog items that are low value and high complexity should not be done unless absolutely required (e.g., regulatory).  If that’s the case, explore how to simplify or reduce the effort needed.

Value-Complexity Matrix

ORDERING BUSINESS VS. TECHNICAL PRODUCT BACKLOG ITEMS

As you continue implementing features, the system must scale and code needs to be refactored to ensure a stable platform.  Additionally, architectural changes may be needed to enable future features and capabilities.

Teams will need to balance delivery of business intent with the need to maintain code and build the architectural runway to enable future enhancements.  To address the need for technical changes, there are a few approaches you can take.

When ordering your backlog, it’s important that the team has a shared understanding about the value (the ‘why’) of items so that there’s alignment and focus.  Start by eliminating that which you shouldn’t do at all and then order remaining backlog items by considering value, effort, dependencies, risk, and cost of delay.

A clear, well-ordered backlog leads to more focus, less time in refinement, and delivering the most important items first.

Listen to this lightning cast for help ordering your backlog.

http://traffic.libsyn.com/masteringbusinessanalysis/MBALC017.mp3

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