How big should your backlog be?
Here there is a commonly accepted standard that the top of your product backlog should have 2-3 sprints worth of stories that meet the definition of “ready”, where the development team can pick them up and run with them.
What is a good backlog?
Roman Pichler (Pichler 2010) and Mike Cohn coined the acronym DEEP to summarize several important characteristics of good product backlogs: Detailed appropriately, Emergent, Estimated, and Prioritized. …
How do you handle a large backlog?
How to Improve Backlog Management
- Do the prep work. Before starting to manage product backlog define and validate the product strategy.
- Focus in a right way.
- Keep the backlog manageable.
- Apply Product Roadmap.
- Collaborate.
- Share the backlog with stakeholders.
- Be proactive and groom it.
- Look beyond user stories.
What does a healthy product backlog look like?
A healthy backlog typically includes stories at various levels of refinement. I recommend that your backlog include some ready stories at the front of the line, as well as some in-refinement stories that are further out. Ready stories have been fleshed out with enough detail that a team could work on them immediately.
What is the minimum size of a backlog?
The minimum “good” sized backlog ensures that your team never runs out of work at any time during the lifecycle of the iteration. If your team has a velocity of X that usually varies up to Y story points, try and keep a groomed backlog that always has at least X+Y story points in it.
What happens if you have too big a product backlog?
You should always strive to keep your product backlog small and manageable. With too many items on the product backlog, three problems arise: First, it is harder to work with an excessively large product backlog. Time will be lost looking for items. (“I know it’s in here somewhere.”) Prioritizing the backlog will take longer.
What does it mean to manage a backlog?
Backlog management is the process by which the product owner (often in collaboration with others) adds, adjusts, grooms, and prioritizes backlog items within the backlog to make sure the most valuble product is shipped to customers. An oversized product backlog is a problem. It impedes innovation.
When to remove an item from the backlog?
The one common bit of guidance out there is more to do with pruning a backlog. It is “if an item has been on the backlog more than X (usually a year or two years) then remove it. If it was really important, it will be added back.” With 400 individual user stories, you have roughly two years of backlog.