Let's start with some observations about backlogs:
1. Backlogs Want To Be Scary
Maybe we'll call that the "Halloween Law of Backlogs". A backlog's favorite day of the year is Halloween.
To understand why, let's think about the reasons you'd put something into a backlog:
- It's not strictly necessary to hit your immediate goals
- You're not sure how it should be designed
- It's a "big bite" and not quite ready to be a Story
- It's been requested by one user, and you're not sure how broadly useful it is
All of those things are scary.
On the flip side of that, there are some tasks which are not scary at all:
- It's clearly necessary
- You know how to design it
- It's a "small bite"
- It's going to be useful to many users
Those kinds of tasks don't get dumped in a backlog, they go into production. Everyone is aligned on those kinds of tasks.
So a backlog is made of at least semi-scary items. But one additional factor makes backlogs very scary:
2. Backlogs Want To Be BIG
It's a lot faster to add something to a backlog than it is to remove it.
Removing it requires either A) deleting it, which might be disappointing to a user, disappointing to one of your colleagues, or disappointing to you. Deleting backlog items often requires some conversation and hand-wringing.
Or, B) moving the item into production. That requires overcoming the scary reasons the item was put in the backlog in the first place, and marshaling resources to get it done.
So backlogs want grow and grow.
3. Backlogs Want To Be Ignored
By design, they are where tasks go to avoid distracting the team. They live in a corner of your workspace that few people visit. It's not a Kanban Board that people are seeing every day. It's not on a Google Calendar, or in a list of Pull Requests.
Backlogs want to have as few eyes on them as possible. That's their job.
The big, scary, important thing you've been ignoring
And yet, we wouldn't put things in a backlog if they weren't important. But that just makes backlogs even scarier.
The big, scary, important thing we've all been ignoring.
What are backlogs useful for
It's worthwhile considering how a backlog can function in the product development pipeline.
In Scrum, the place a backlog would be used is for CREATE PROJECT VISION. That's the place where you are considering all the potential projects you might invest in, looking at the business case, marketing, costs and profits, etc.
That points us at some interesting criteria for what makes a good backlog:
What makes a good backlog
1. Ideal backlog items address the business case, marketing, and costs and profits behind the work
These are the things you'll be thinking about when you are reviewing your backlog so they should be the things you document when deciding an item should go in there.
If any of these concerns are obvious misses, don't put it in the backlog.
And speaking of not putting things in the backlog...
2. Don't put things in the backlog you won't do soon
Since Backlogs Want To Be BIG, and a big backlog is more difficult to review, it's important to find ways to keep your backlog small.
An easy rule is "If you don't think you'll get to it this quarter or next, don't put it in the backlog".
3. Delete backlog items mercilessly
Understand that it's going to hurt. If it was truly unimportant, it never would've landed in your backlog in the first place. So know that you're going to be deleting important things out of your backlog.
One thing to keep in mind which can make this easier is...
The Boomerang Rule
Important things will come back to you.
If something is truly a broad concern for many of your colleagues, or many of your users, someone will mention it again.
And eventually someone will mention it in a less scary time, when
- It's clearer how necessary it is
- You have a better sense of how design it
- You can see a "smaller bite" to take
- More users have made it clear they need it
So, as important as it is today, remember that the important stuff will only get importanter.
The Small, Helpful, Important Thing You Keep Tabs On
With just those few small changes to your workflow, your backlog can transform from the Big, Scary, Important Thing You've Been Ignoring to something you actually want to keep tabs on.
If you are careful about adding things, brazen about removing them, and stay focused on backlog items that contribute to your project vision, hopefully your backlog will be something folks want to spend time in.
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