Backlog Management

5 minutes 5 Questions

Backlog management is an integral duty of a Product Owner. The backlog is essentially a list of requirements for the product, represented in user stories or other formats. The PO is responsible for prioritizing these backlog items based on their business value, and ensuring that they are clear and …

Backlog Management: A Comprehensive Guide

Backlog management is an essential component in the Scrum Master's toolkit. The Product Owner is responsible for the product backlog. Why is it important?
Backlog management is crucial as it helps in prioritizing the work needs to be done and provides visibility and transparency on what the team will be working on. It helps in aligning the team's work with the organization's goals and strategyWhat is Backlog Management?
Backlog management involves ordering the product backlog in a way that aligns with the team's goals and strategy, and ensuring it is a single source of requirements for any changes to be made to the product. How it works?
The product owner orders the items in the product backlog based on their priority. The development team then chooses items from the product backlog to include in the next sprint, during the sprint planning meetingAnswering Questions on Backlog Management in Exam
Here are some exam tips for answering questions about backlog management:
1. Always remember the role of the product owner in managing the product backlog.
2. Understand the concept of product backlog prioritization.
3. Know how scrum events (like the sprint planning meeting) relate to backlog managementExam Tips: Answering Questions on Backlog Management
- Be sure to understand fully the Scrum Guide and its explanations about Backlog and its management.
- Be aware of the Product Owner's role in Backlog management and the collaboration with the Development Team.
- Keep in mind that Backlog is a dynamic entity that is continuously updated and reframed.
- Practice various mock tests to better understand question patterns.
- Always link your answers to the core principles and values of SCRUM.

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PSM I - Backlog Management Example Questions

Test your knowledge of Backlog Management

Question 1

You, as a Scrum Master, notice that the Product Owner often prioritizes low-value items in the backlog. How should you address this issue?

Work with the development team to create a separate backlog that aligns with what they perceive as high-value features, and present it to the Product Owner. Organize a workshop with the Product Owner and the development team to estimate the effort and value of each backlog item, allowing the team to influence the priority based on their estimates. Collaborate with the Product Owner to review and assess the value and priority of backlog items based on stakeholder feedback and market changes. Suggest assigning a committee of stakeholders to take over the product backlog prioritization process from the Product Owner.

Correct Answer: Collaborate with the Product Owner to review and assess the value and priority of backlog items based on stakeholder feedback and market changes.

As a Scrum Master, your role involves coaching and facilitating the Scrum team to help them work more effectively. The correct approach to address the issue of a Product Owner prioritizing low-value items is to work collaboratively with them, leveraging stakeholder feedback and market changes to reassess and potentially reprioritize backlog items. The Scrum Master should not take over prioritization, create separate backlogs, or involve outside committees or stakeholders in a manner that undermines the Product Owner's responsibility. Additionally, while involving the team in estimating effort is part of Scrum, using their estimates to directly influence prioritization without the Product Owner's agreement oversteps their role and may disrupt the balance of responsibilities within the Scrum framework.

Question 2

You are the Scrum Master and the Product Owner is asking to add a new feature to the current sprint, that has already started. What should you do?

Explain that the Scrum Guide prohibits changes that would endanger the Sprint Goal Suggest that the entire sprint be restarted Add the new feature immediately without any discussions Refuse the request outright

Correct Answer: Explain that the Scrum Guide prohibits changes that would endanger the Sprint Goal

According to the Scrum Guide, once the sprint has started, the goal should remain the same. Therefore, allowing the Product Owner to add a new feature might jeopardize the initial sprint goal. The option 'Explain that the Scrum Guide prohibits changes that would endanger the Sprint Goal' is correct. Now talking about the other options: 'Add the new feature immediately without any discussions' is wrong because it threatens the sprint goal and undermines the importance of sprint planning. 'Refuse the request outright' is not the best option as Scrum Masters and Product Owners should engage in productive dialogue about the backlog and sprint plans. Finally, the choice 'Suggest that the entire sprint be restarted' would be disruptive and it's also not aligned with Scrum principles, as sprints are time-boxed and should not be lengthened or shortened arbitrarily.

Question 3

The development team often finds that the items in the product backlog are poorly defined and lacking acceptance criteria. What actions should you as a Scrum Master encourage?

Suggest that the development team uses their experience to assume missing details in the backlog items, making educated guesses where necessary. Advocate for the use of a more detailed and rigid documentation process for backlog items, requiring stakeholders to provide complete specifications before the refinement sessions. Encourage the Product Owner to regularly collaborate with the team to clarify and refine backlog items, ensuring they meet the definition of 'Ready'. Recommend the Product Owner focus on expanding the backlog with more items to provide a wider selection for the team to choose from, regardless of the detail.

Correct Answer: Encourage the Product Owner to regularly collaborate with the team to clarify and refine backlog items, ensuring they meet the definition of 'Ready'.

The correct approach involves collaboration between the Product Owner and the development team to ensure backlog items are clearly defined and meet the team's 'Definition of Ready.' This leads to a mutual understanding of what is expected for each backlog item and helps in planning and executing the work effectively. Assuming details or focusing on quantity over quality may lead to confusion, waste, and a mismatch between expectations and deliverables. Overly rigid documentation goes against Agile and Scrum principles of individuals and interactions over processes and tools, and working software over comprehensive documentation.

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