How Product Managers Can Avoid Becoming Backlog Managers

Backlog Management Guide: The unspoken secrets of crafting valuable product backlogs

Backlog management is supposed to be simple, but the reality is different. Often, the backlog becomes a disguise for a waterfall framework.

The more items you have in your backlog, the more distant to agile you are.

The less goal-oriented your backlog is, the more fragmented your team becomes.

The more you focus on backlog management, the less you can discover value drivers.

Unfortunately, the backlog quickly deviates from a vehicle to create value to a distraction from what truly matters.

With extensive product backlog:

• Product managers become backlog managers
• Software engineers descend to coders
• Product designers derail to pixel-perfect designers
• Agile coaches become Agile rules

None of the above smells good. It stinks, and it stinks pretty bad.

Shall we defeat the backlog management traps?

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The Product Backlog Health Check

Understanding the status quo is fundamental to transforming it. Please take a few minutes to reflect on the following questions:

• Do your backlog items live forever, or do you dare to delete outdated ones?
• Are your backlog items unrelated, or are most related to an overarching goal?
• Does the size of your backlog scare you, or does it encourage you to discover the future and gradually bring new items?
• When you look at your backlog, do you get confused, or can you quickly glimpse where you are going?
• Are your backlog items related to fulfilling requirements or context to solving problems?

Take your time. Don’t rush. The more your answers are to the left, the more trapped you are in outdated backlog management. No worries! You’re not alone. I’ve been; it’s not funny.