The Embryonic Product Backlog

Kartik Kumar

• em-bry-on-ic– pertaining to or in the state of an embryo

• Product Backlog– Needs no explanation

In The Beginning

• Every product starts off as a “project”• Product Backlog looks like …

User Story

Bug

Feedback/Enhancement

Idea

Prio

ritise

d

Beta Product

• Beta customers using the product (project?)– Not in “full production”

• Product Backlog looks like this …

User StoryBug

Customer Feedback/Enhancement

Idea

Prio

ritise

d

Done!

• Go To Market– Beta customers go “full production”

• Product Backlog looks like this …

User Story

Bug

Customer Feedback/Enhancement

Idea

Prio

ritise

d

Embryo DevelopmentPr

ioriti

sed

Conception Birth

Product is in the Market

• “Support” and “Enhancement” streams• Release Management– Market Vs. Internal Business

• Changes dictated by external forces– Competition– Regulator– Substitutes

• “When do we break even?”• Economic Cycles

Product is in the Market

You don’t want the Product Backlog to go

from to

Embryo Development Should BePr

ioriti

sed

Conception Birth

Prio

ritise

d

Moral of the Story

• Elaborate all ideas– Write user stories– Prepare & plan for this activity

• Write down why someone came up with an idea

• Ideas really shouldn’t be on a Product Backlog– But we need a backlog of ideas …

Thank You