Synopsis:
- AVOID Projects being added to your “product” backlog
- TRY Starting with impact and outcome during ideation
- AVOID Trying to make everyone happy
- TRY Thinking about what you’re saying “no” to…when you say “yes”
- AVOID Starting/working on everything
- TRY Visualizing intake to surface tradeoff discussion
- TRY Rationalizing stakeholder requests with user/customer behaviors
- AVOID Confusing with product vision
- TRY Thematic summaries of impact and outcome statements
- AVOID Being everything to everyone
- TRY Creating focus for your team and stakeholders
- AVOID Tasks as PBIs
- TRY Crafting impact and outcome statements as PBIs
- AVOID Dividing value between multiple PBIs
- AVOID Slicing too thin just because you can’t get done in a Sprint
- TRY Working on items as an entire team vs individuals
- AVOID Using the Product Backlog as a time tracking tool or accounting system
- TRY Focusing on the “why” and the “what” when refining and leave the “how” for Sprint Planning
- AVOID Requirements handoffs with no conversations
- TRY Diverge/merge cycles
- AVOID A few people talking and majority listening
- TRY Shifting the majority of the talk time to the people responsible for creating the product Increment
- AVOID Long-term detailed planning
- TRY Stopping once the PBI is “actionable” or “ready”
- AVOID Fake spikes
- TRY Questions to surface understanding and summaries to clarify
- AVOID Changing order only a few times a year
- AVOID Using calculations or processes as the only input to ordering decisions
- AVOID Confusing “order” with “priority/categorization”
- TRY Using Product Goals and Sprint Goals to help reveal order
- AVOID Changing order during Sprint Planning
- TRY Sharing order in refinement and Sprint Reviews
- AVOID Using averages and single date on the calendar, and using expert opinion
- TRY Forecasting dates with confidence intervals and using empirical data to build your forecasts
- AVOID Once and never updating
- TRY Continuously updating and sharing forecasts in Sprint Reviews and refinement sessions
- AVOID Long time horizons
- TRY Using forecasts to discuss optionality