Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
The Product Backlog is:
A prioritized list of project requirements with estimated times to turn them
into completed product functionality
6
[3].
The Sprint Backlog is:
A list of tasks that defines a team's work for a sprint. Each task identifies
those responsible for doing the work and the estimated amount of work
remaining on the task on any given day during the sprint.
Both the Product Backlog and the Sprint Backlog should be visible to the entire
team at all times. Anyone can add a potential task to the Product Backlog, but
it doesn't get to the Sprint Backlog until it is agreed to and planned at a plan-
ning session that occurs before each thirty-day sprint. Once we agree to the
Sprint Backlog, the work for the next thirty days is fixed. Team members can
add new items during the Sprint, but no one from outside the team can add
to the Sprint Backlog during the Sprint itself (e.g., customers cannot add to
the Sprint backlog during the Sprint itself).
Scrum purists follow these rules in a disciplined way, for good reason. They
are proven to work to help a team achieve an agreed-to schedule. Wavering
from the rules often leads to trouble like what we saw with Al and Mike. This
is an example where using a “hybrid” Agile/traditional approach can lead to
trouble if the intent of each practice is not understood, especially those Agile
practices you don't follow rigorously. Refer to Table 8-1 at the end of this
chapter for key Scrum practices/terminology.
8.7 Mistakes Made on DART
The first mistake made on DART was not keeping all the current work visi-
ble to the full team and discussing it each day as a team. Failing to keep all
the current work visible is an easy thing to do when you are working closely
with a customer who is constantly making requests for new functionality.
This is not an uncommon problem when organizations try to blend tradi-
tional task management with an Agile approach. In many traditional
organizations, the tasking manager doesn't get too close to the work at the
day-to-day level. The problem with this is that with Agile approaches you
6. See reference for more information about Scrum-specific rules and terminology.
