How do you select the most valuable items for the sprint backlog?

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3 minute read

I think it’s time we decode the Sprint Backlog selection and that we take some time for a reality check when it comes to the Sprint Backlog.  ✨

Today, I’m bringing you some grounded insights on a question that is asked often in Agile circles.  🚀

How do you select the most valuable items for the Sprint Backlog?

Let’s debunk the myth of the “magic fairy dust,".  It’s time to get real about how this process unfolds.  🛠️

Beyond The ‘Magic Fairy Dust’ in Sprint Planning

As we manoeuvre through the agile process, let’s unravel the genuine mechanics behind selecting the most significant items for your sprint backlog, stepping away from the idealistic portrayal in the scrum guide.

In the journey of sculpting the perfect Sprint, many assume that, as the scrum guide vaguely suggests, you magically select the ones you need and can be interpreted as that we just need to “magically select the ones you need” and sprinkle some “magic fairy dust”.

But let’s do more than scratch the surface and get to fully understand that the reality is a lot more complicated than that.  🎯

Harnessing Multifaceted Insights for a Robust Sprint Goal

As we navigate this path, we must take information from the business context, the product owner’s understanding of the market and the business context, as well as the engineering context.

It’s about collating diverse viewpoints to carve out a Sprint goal that aligns with the ongoing projects’ real pulse. 🎯

Strategic Selection: A Collaborative Endeavor

As we delve deeper, it becomes evident that the selection isn’t just dictated by the order in the product backlog.   The art of prioritising in the Sprint Backlog is a team effort.

It informs but does not control the work that the developers accept into the Sprint.  Pivotal architectural components could take precedence, steering the team towards focusing on the next most important piece of value, thereby laying a solid foundation for tackling the most crucial aspects in the forthcoming sprints.  🤝

Remember, in Agile, it’s about fostering a cohesive approach where every stakeholder, from the product owner to the developers, comes together to spotlight the most crucial elements in a sprint, ensuring that every move is aligned with delivering value.

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Foreign is how do you select the most valuable items for the Sprint backlog? If you take a look at this, the Scrum Guide, it will just say you magically select the ones you need, right? You kind of craft a Sprint goal and then magic fairy dust is sprinkled on it and you get a list of things. But the reality is a lot more complicated than that. The reality is that you have to take information from the business, the business context, the product owner’s context and their understanding of the market and the business context, the engineering context, what’s happening in the product, what’s going on there. You bring all of that together and then you figure out what your Sprint goal is going to be. That Sprint goal then at least shapes the initial set of work you’re going to bring into that Sprint.

So, the most important things could be the things at the top of your product backlog, but I would say that the order of the product backlog informs but does not control the work that the developers accept, pull into the Sprint. Because there might be other considerations that take priority, right? This is the most important thing we need to work on. Yeah, but in order to do that, we’ve got this big chunk of architectural stuff we have to do first. Therefore, we’re going to focus on the next most important piece of value and this architectural stuff so that next Sprint we can hopefully take on this most important thing, right? That might be more considerations for that. So, it has to be carefully thought out and by the whole Scrum team.

So, the product owner needs to work closely with the developers. The developers work closely with the product owner to figure out what are we going to take into the Sprint. And it’s not always the most important thing in the product backlog. Thanks for watching the video. If you enjoyed it, please like, follow and subscribe. I always reply to comments, and if you want to have a chat about this or anything else Agile, Scrum or DevOps, then please book a coffee with me through Naked Agility.

Product Owner Scrum Product Development Product Backlog Scrum Team Agile Product Management Scrum Master People and Process Professional Scrum Software Developers Software Development

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