Xmas Special: Keep Your Backlog Microscopic - The #NoBacklogs Revolution With Vasco Duarte | Vasco Duarte

Summary

Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile Storytelling from the Trenches

Episode: Xmas Special: Keep Your Backlog Microscopic - The #NoBacklogs Revolution With Vasco Duarte
Host: Vasco Duarte, Agile Coach, Certified Scrum Master, Certified Product Owner
Release Date: December 26, 2024

---

In this festive special episode of the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast, host Vasco Duarte delves into a pressing issue that plagues many Agile teams: the ever-expanding backlog. Titled "Keep Your Backlog Microscopic - The #NoBacklogs Revolution", Vasco offers insightful strategies to transform burdensome backlogs into streamlined, manageable tools that enhance team focus and productivity.

1. Introduction to the Backlog Dilemma

Vasco opens the episode by highlighting a common frustration within Agile teams—the "monster backlog." He likens excessive backlogs to cluttered storage boxes filled with outdated cables and devices, emphasizing how backlogs can become repositories for ideas that never see the light of day:

"Turned our backlogs into what might be considered the digital equivalent of that box in the storage where you put all of the old phone chargers, the USB cables, the old routers, just because they might be useful someday."
[00:30]

2. The Story of Juha and His Overloaded Backlog

To illustrate the severity of the problem, Vasco shares the real-life story of Juha, an IT department manager at a media organization. Juha believed his team was in control until Vasco observed that their daily meetings were inundated with items not present on the Sprint board. This realization led to a shocking discovery:

"Over the next few weeks, we found out that this team had 121 epics in their backlog. 121. At their rate of delivery, this meant about five years of work."
[02:45]

Juha's backlog had morphed from a strategic tool into an overwhelming burden, hindering the team's ability to deliver effectively.

3. The Impact of an Inflated Backlog

Vasco emphasizes that Juha's predicament is not an isolated case. Many organizations struggle with backlogs that grow unchecked, leading to:

• Decreased Productivity: Teams are haunted by a never-ending list of tasks, causing prioritization paralysis.
• Loss of Focus: Critical items get buried under less relevant tasks, diluting the team's efforts.
• Emotional Strain: The backlog becomes a source of stress, akin to packing for a move with years' worth of accumulated items.

4. Introducing the Microscopic Backlog Concept

Vasco proposes a radical yet effective solution: maintaining a backlog limited to the next two to three sprints. This approach ensures that the backlog remains a dynamic tool rather than a stagnant storage bin.

"Your backlog should only contain work for the next two to three sprints."
[08:15]

He addresses potential concerns about losing valuable ideas by suggesting alternative methods for capturing and managing them without overloading the backlog.

5. Managing Ideas Beyond the Immediate Backlog

To balance short-term focus with long-term vision, Vasco introduces a three-tiered framework:

• Short Term (2-3 Sprints): The immediate backlog contains actionable items that the team will tackle in the near future.

• Medium Term (6-9 Months):

  • Technology Strategy: Aligns the team's technical efforts with the organization's broader technological goals.
  • Problem-Centric Roadmap: Focuses on addressing specific customer or internal problems, guiding the team's medium-term initiatives.

  "A problem roadmap is focused on what are the problems, customer problems or internal, that we want to solve in the next six to nine months."
  [12:40]

• Long Term (Product Vision):

  • Establishes a clear vision of where the product is headed, providing a north star that aligns daily tasks with future objectives.

  "A vision allows us to understand how what we work on today fits into the future vision of the product."
  [15:00]

This layered approach ensures that the team remains focused on immediate priorities while still having visibility into future directions without being bogged down by an exhaustive backlog.

6. The Analogy: Backlogs as Perishable Items

Vasco draws an analogy between backlog items and perishable goods like milk:

"Look at backlog items as milk, right? There's a best before date. If it goes beyond that, the backlog item isn't useful anymore."
[18:25]

This perspective underscores the importance of regularly reviewing and pruning the backlog to keep it relevant and manageable.

7. Implementing Backlog Management Practices

To translate this philosophy into practice, Vasco recommends:

• Regular Backlog Grooming: Schedule consistent sessions to evaluate and prioritize backlog items, ensuring only the most relevant tasks remain.

• Separate Repositories for Future Ideas: Use tools or documents to store ideas that may be valuable in the future but are not immediate priorities, keeping the active backlog lean.

• Clear Criteria for Item Removal: Establish guidelines for when and how to discard outdated or irrelevant backlog items, preventing accumulation over time.

8. Call to Action: Embrace the #NoBacklogs Revolution

Vasco concludes the episode by urging listeners to adopt the microscopic backlog approach as a transformative strategy for 2025. He emphasizes the benefits of reduced anxiety, enhanced focus, and improved team morale.

"Backlogs were created to help teams focus, not to give them anxiety attacks. And because of that, we really need to start putting these ideas into practice."
[22:10]

9. Invitation to the Global Agile Summit

As part of his commitment to fostering Agile excellence, Vasco invites listeners to the inaugural Global Agile Summit in Tallinn, Estonia, scheduled for May 18-20, 2025. He highlights the event's focus on real-life Agile practices, featuring workshops and discussions led by industry leaders.

"So if you want to see these teams and how they've handled the problem of large backlogs, you can join us at the Global Agile Summit in 2025 in Tallinn, Estonia."
[24:50]

Conclusion

This Christmas special serves as a timely reminder of the importance of maintaining a focused and manageable backlog. Vasco Duarte's practical insights and actionable strategies provide Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches with the tools needed to revolutionize their backlog management, fostering environments where teams can thrive without being overwhelmed by endless to-do lists. As we look toward 2025, embracing the #NoBacklogs Revolution promises to enhance productivity, clarity, and overall team well-being.

---

Key Takeaways:

• Limit Backlog Scope: Maintain a backlog that only spans the next two to three sprints to ensure focus and manageability.
• Separate Future Planning Tools: Use distinct frameworks for medium-term strategies and long-term visions to avoid backlog bloat.
• Regularly Prune the Backlog: Treat backlog items like perishable goods, removing outdated or irrelevant tasks to keep the list relevant.
• Embrace Structured Frameworks: Implement a three-tiered approach (short, medium, long term) to balance immediate actions with future planning.

Notable Quotes:

• "Your backlog should only contain work for the next two to three sprints." — Vasco Duarte (00:30)
• "A problem roadmap is focused on what are the problems, customer problems or internal, that we want to solve in the next six to nine months." — Vasco Duarte (12:40)
• "Look at backlog items as milk, right? There's a best before date. If it goes beyond that, the backlog item isn't useful anymore." — Vasco Duarte (18:25)
• "Backlogs were created to help teams focus, not to give them anxiety attacks." — Vasco Duarte (22:10)

For more insights and to connect with Agile practitioners worldwide, don't miss out on the Global Agile Summit in Tallinn. Visit globalagilesummit.com to secure your super early bird tickets and be part of the Agile transformation in 2025.

---

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider rating it on Stitcher or iTunes, and share it with fellow Scrum Masters and Agile professionals. Your support helps us continue to provide valuable content for the Agile community.

Transcript

[Vasco Duarte]

Hey, how are you doing? I'm Vasco Duarte, your host on the Scrum Master Toolbox podcast. And I've got some exciting news. So right now, as I record this, I'm holding in my hand the signed contract for our very first Global Agile Summit. We're all in and I couldn't wait to share this news with you. So mark your calendars. May 18th, 20th of 2025 in Tallinn, Estonia. We're gonna have a transformative experience. We're putting together an event that is all about real life agile. It's not theory or buzzwords. It's practitioners sharing what's working, what's making an impact, and how they've overcome challenges that you too will have to face, or maybe even facing. Right now we're bringing together the best stories in Agile. From product leaders to engineering wizards to business visionaries, these will be stories that will inspire you to action. This isn't just another conference. It's a chance to connect with the people that are shaping the future of Agile. And here's the best part. Right now we're in our super early bird phase. And that means you can grab tickets at just 25% of the final price. Look, that's not just half off, it's half off of the half off. It's an incredible deal for our dedicated community members, just like you listening to this right now. So at the summit, day one will be all about hands on workshops. And days two and three, we'll dive into leadership, product strategy, coding, testing, and everything that makes Agile thrive in organizations. Right now remember, these are all first person real life stories. Now whether you're a leader, a developer, or part of a consulting company, this event is built to take your Agile game to the next level. So don't wait. Go to globalagilesummit.com and grab your ticket. Today, let's all make 2025 the year agile truly transforms your teams, your business and our industry. I'll see you all in Tallinn. And Remember, go to globalagilesummit.com and get your super early bird ticket right now. It only be available until the agenda is announced, so don't wait. Grab it right now. Right now that that's out of the way, onto the episode. Hi there everybody. Welcome back to the five wishes for 2025 series. I'm Vasco and today we're talking about something that's probably lurking in your organization. Right now we're talking about the monster backlog. How do you like that sound effect? Here's the issue we've Turned our backlogs into what might be considered the digital equivalent of that box in the storage where you put all of the old phone chargers, the USB cables, the old routers, just because they might be useful someday. I mean, come on, admit it. We all have that box, right? I have one right here. Let me tell you a story about Juha. And no, this isn't the start of a finished joke, although it could be. Juha is a real person. I've changed the name to protect the innocent. And he was managing an IT department at a media organization, and he was confident that everything was under control. And of course, spoiler alert, it wasn't. When I started attending his team's daily meetings, I noticed something interesting. The team discussed ton of items that were not on the Sprint board. And I got that feeling when you go shopping and then you come back and you have everything except what was on the original list. It's a feeling of discomfort and frustration, I have to say. So at that team, we did something crazy. We started tracking all of these items that were discussed but not on the Sprint board. And oh, boy, did we find something shocking. Over the next few weeks, we found out that this team had 121 epics in their backlog. 121. At their rate of delivery, this meant about five years of work. And they had to deliver that in the next three quarters. So as you can imagine, they didn't deliver it. Now, here's the moment that hit me hard. We put all these items on a physical board. This was still pre Covid. So we had, like, you know, real physical boards and post its instead of digital ones. And I was in the room with Juha, and Juha looked at the board, crossed his arms, he sighed and said, oh, man, I'm in pain. And you know what that pain was? And I could feel it. I could see it in him. It's like when you're packing and you realize just how much stuff you've been hoarding and now need to move to the new apartment or house. For Juha and his team, the backlog had become a burden. It was no longer a tool that they were using to organize and prioritize what they were working. It had become a burden. So, of course, I realized that this isn't unique. There's many organizations out there that have the same problem. So I have a proposition. And yes, it's gonna sound a little bit crazy at first, but bear with me. There's some logic to this madness. It isn't madness, really, because I know it Works. I've seen it work. And we organize our work here in the company the same way. So here's the idea. Your backlog should only contain work for the next two to three sprints. But Vasco, I hear you cry. What about all of those great ideas? We can't miss them or lose them, right? We need to have a place to put them. And yes, you're right. I mean, I get it. We need to take care of that. So let's make this idea practical. So let's say we start with a backlog, but the rule of thumb keeps or holds and we have a backlog that is there only for the next max three sprints. And this is simple to know. You just look at the last three sprints, you count the number of items you delivered, and you make the backlog limited to that size. So now we have two to three sprints of items we can discuss and refine and ultimately work on. But obviously there's more to this than just the next two or three sprints. There's also, you know, the medium term, so let's say six to nine months in some cases. For example, if a company is growing and hiring, they need visibility to the skills that they need in order to prepare for the future. So for this we need a medium term visibility. And here we have two items. There's of course, the famous technology strategy. And your engineering department has one. Right. More on that in an upcoming podcast episode that I'm preparing with somebody who has some great ideas to share. So come back later for that. So that was item one for the medium term, the technology strategy, but also the problem centric roadmap. A problem roadmap is focused on what are the problems, customer problems or internal, that we want to solve in the next six to nine months. And this allows us to understand what the teams might be focusing on in the medium term. And then finally, we need to look at the long term. And for that we need what we call a product vision. A vision allows us to understand how what we work on today fits into the future vision of the product. So this gives us the long term perspective when we bring these three different timelines together, right? Like short term, two to three sprints, medium term, six to nine months, and then the longer term, the vision. Then we have three different documents or tools that are available and ready to help the team focus on what's really important in their day to day work while providing enough information about the future without overwhelming them with details that they might never need to see. When you start Looking at your work like this, with these three different levels, it's like having three different zoom levels on your product map. I mean, think about it, when you're going for a trip next year, you don't need the street level details for a country that you're visiting then, right? Like you need maybe a list of landmarks and cities, and that's about it. And if you think that most backlogs aren't that bad and that this is an overkill, well, let me tell you, I've been speaking about this topic at conferences for a while and I always ask this, what was the oldest item you removed from your backlog? And when I ask this, and I say, okay, one year, could you please raise your hands? And a lot of people raise their hands. One year items have been removed from many backlogs. And just think about it. One year items. But it gets worse. Then I ask two years, three years, five years, myself, I've removed items from a backlog that were five years old. But in one conference I actually got a team to keep their hand raised. When I asked 10 years, I wasn't sure, but there you go. This team had removed an item from their backlog that was 10 years old. It's like keeping your 2000 contingency plans in your backlog just in case. I mean, think about it. Look at backlog items as milk, right? There's a best before date. If it goes beyond that, the backlog item isn't useful anymore. And of course, because of that, we need a solution to offer the organization, the product manager, the engineering manager, so that they can keep those great ideas that they have without overwhelming the team on a day to day basis. So here's the idea, the concept. Backlogs are a little bit like email inboxes. They only grow. Like, they don't stop growing. They only grow unless you have a system to manage them. Backlogs were created to help teams focus, not to give them anxiety attacks. And because of that, we really need to start putting these ideas into practice. Maybe you have a better idea? Try it out, but keep your backlogs short. And that's my wish for 2025. Let's make backlogs great again. Okay, sorry, I couldn't resist that one. No, but seriously, let's turn backlogs back into that tool for focus that we want to give to our teams. This is what they were meant to be. If you want to see real teams that are doing this right now and even more radical solutions, we're all for diversity here. So if you want to see these teams and how they've handled the problem of large backlogs, you can join us at the Global agile summit in 2025 in Tallinn, Estonia. Check that [e-mail] you have the tickets available. And if you're listening to this in Christmas 2024, here's a gift better than your aunt's fruitcake. A 75% discount on the tickets. That's it. Our super early bird tickets are already out available for you to purchase. Super early birds are there because we don't yet have the program, but we will have shortly. So take action and do it. Buy the ticket now. Remember, your backlog should be like your fridge, not your basement. You only keep the stuff you need in the short term. You don't keep every idea there. Check out the show notes for the summit details or go to global agilesummit.com and get that sweet holiday discount. And until next time, keep those backlogs small and focused and your spirits high and I'll see you in Tallinn. Merry Christmas. We really hope you liked our show, and if you did, why not Rate this podcast on Stitcher or itunes. Share this podcast and let other Scrum Masters know about this valuable resource for their work. Remember that sharing is caring.