Not All Surprises Are True Unknowns
Many product development surprises stem from poor backlog management, not true unknowns. Regular refinement and reflection help teams anticipate and …
TL;DR; You cannot know everything upfront in software development, so focus on continuous discovery and adapt as you learn. Scrum supports this by encouraging just enough planning and design to move forward, then delivering and learning from real use. Prioritise delivery and feedback over excessive upfront design to create more value.
One of the biggest fallacies in software is the belief that you can know everything upfront. That’s why some teams try to carve out “Design Sprints” to feel more in control.
But real product development doesn’t work like that. Discovery is continuous. Ideas evolve. Assumptions break. Value emerges through use.
That’s why Scrum embraces uncertainty. Refinement is your chance to explore future work just enough to be ready, without wasting time planning things that might never happen.
Build just enough design to support delivery. Then deliver. Get telemetry. Learn. Repeat.
If you’re spending more time designing than delivering, you’re likely optimising the wrong part of the system.
Each classification [Concepts, Categories, & Tags] was assigned using AI-powered semantic analysis and scored across relevance, depth, and alignment. Final decisions? Still human. Always traceable. Hover to see how it applies.
If you've made it this far, it's worth connecting with our principal consultant and coach, Martin Hinshelwood, for a 30-minute 'ask me anything' call.
We partner with businesses across diverse industries, including finance, insurance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, technology, engineering, transportation, hospitality, entertainment, legal, government, and military sectors.
Schlumberger
YearUp.org
Emerson Process Management
Capita Secure Information Solutions Ltd
SuperControl
Freadom
Kongsberg Maritime
Illumina
Big Data for Humans
Brandes Investment Partners L.P.
Microsoft
MacDonald Humfrey (Automation) Ltd.
Epic Games
Alignment Healthcare
ProgramUtvikling
Hubtel Ghana
Higher Education Statistics Agency
Philips
Washington Department of Enterprise Services
Ghana Police Service
New Hampshire Supreme Court
Royal Air Force
Department of Work and Pensions (UK)
Washington Department of Transport
Capita Secure Information Solutions Ltd
MacDonald Humfrey (Automation) Ltd.
Slicedbread
Lockheed Martin
Alignment Healthcare
Sage