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Managing backlog

Last post 09:49 am November 21, 2018 by Ian Mitchell
4 replies
09:45 pm November 20, 2018

Hi

I am working for an organisation that is attempting to implement more agile processes. One of the questions I had is around backlog - at the moment, this is our process for new requests from our customers - 

1. We have a weekly meeting with customers who present their request. We have developers on the call who attempt to estimated the time taken to carry out the work and how this will be solved

2. The item is then written up and added to JIRA

3. In JIRA the item goes to the backlog

4. Every month we go through the JIRA backlog to determine what goes into the next sprint. However, because *everything* the customer asks for goes into the backlog, i’m Worried that this backlog will grow in size to thousands of items

 

How can we better manage this process?


10:09 pm November 20, 2018

Is there a product with a Product Owner?


12:02 am November 21, 2018

Yes, we have a product with Product Owner


06:14 am November 21, 2018

If you have product owner then PO should attend the calls with the customer and not the developers.

PO should then analyse the item and break into testable and manageable user stories and add them to the backlogs.

It is now when the development team comes into the picture to estimate. Taking the request and estimating it should not be done in the same call for that the people responsible for that are different and needs more work after the call.

PO= take requirement, maintain backlog, PBI grooming to the team

Team= estimate the pbis and tasks and achieve the sprint goal. 

You should not be worried about the PBIs growing in numbers because that is what the customer wants. You should aim at delivering it effectively with a sustainable pace. 


09:49 am November 21, 2018

Yes, we have a product with Product Owner

Is there a single clear Product Backlog, just for that product, from which the team draw their work? Is the PO recognized by the team and all stakeholders as having authority over that backlog?


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