Product Backlog and the tea leaves effect (a message to Product Owners)

Product Backlog is a strategic instrument of high value; for stakeholders, product management, the organization, the Development Team(s), and the Product Owner. When employed well, Product Backlog reflects the vision, ambitions, roadmap, needs and wants for a product or a service, all in one place. Imagine how your competitors would love to have access to it!

Product Backlog has the potential, as a single artefact, to replace a multitude of other predictive plans and traditional documents. In Scrum, Product Backlog is all the plan you need. For Product Backlog to enhance simplicity and transparency, Product Owners maintain Product Backlog continuously. The Product Owner, actually owning the product, orders and manages it to reflect the actual needs, wants and ambitions.

Product Owners likely apply multiple hands-on strategies to keep Product Backlog tidy and accurate. It helps for many Product Owners to realize how the tea leaves on a Product Backlog impact transparency.

Having explained Product Backlog and the Tea Leaves Effect in the past, I have now summarized it in a short movie. It takes less than 2 minutes of your time. Enjoy!