A(i)Gile

The Product Backlog Artifact

There is work to be done to get to a a Product Backlog. When the product backlog is healthy (think of it as DEEP*), it will offer you the chance to deliver an amazing product. By default, when the backlog is weak, the product will represent a value that is going to be questionable for customers and end-users.

Find alignment around what a healthy product backlog means to come to the point where you have a chance to deliver something of value for customers/end users. 

The actual Product Artifact

Having a healthy product backlog doesn't guarantee that shiny valuable product. The right practice comes into play here. But with an unhealthy backlog, engineering isn't able to save the day! Constant attention to the right practice is needed.

PDCA remains such a strong tool to improve: plan - do - check - act. 

PDCA is highly scalable: Improve towards having a healthy product backlog, improve the engineering practice, improve the delivery of products so we are able to receive feedback sooner, improve collaboration between individuals and between teams, …. 

That empirical mindset is engraved: what is the hypothesis, work on proving the hypothesis, check whether the expected outcome is there, and learn from the experience. Again and again and again. Once you achieve flow, you're going to love it! Finding flow is the hard work. That requires discipline and clear working agreements. 

People like to have it fast, cheap and good. But here's the thing, quality requires effort. 

If we want to deliver value sooner, we need to understand the 3 elements which we can “control”: 

• Product Leadership
  the closer you get to real product leadership, the more valuable your solutions can be. 

• Engineering (excellence) Practice
  Having the right skills available and knowing how to apply them, are essential to engineer products that bring value versus just poorly built products.

• Predictable through Process
  Finding the process that guarantees the delivery of value solutions time and time again. 

Into the equation, we leave out People, because People by default add a layer of complexity through their interactions and opinions on things. We work with people to bring alignment around the impact of the 3 dimensions that seems to be controllable in a way. 

Ways of working touch upon everything; a to z, end to end. So, this is where a more generic end-to-end view is able to connect with an in depth profession like product management or engineering. Key to this is that there emerge richer conversations if everybody understands the collaboration in the matrix. A way of working should support concepts like predictability, trade-offs in favour of highest value first, consistency and flow.