Is A Backlog Waste?

19 May 2011 OlafLewitz

Why does your project need a product backlog? Or, does it actually need one, and why? A discussion on Twitter led me to these ponderings... As always, I'm very interested in your thoughts!

Olaf Lewitz
agile42 Coach. Visiting Business Influencer and Linchpin. My motto is that of NannyMcPhee: "When you need me, but do not want me, I must stay. When you want me, but no longer need me, then I have to go."

On

19 May 2011

In

Scrum

Tags

backlog, bdd, lean, pull, waste

Is A Backlog Waste? Yes. A backlog is inventory and inventory is waste. Simple question.

Does that Help?

No. Depending on your system, some amount of waste will be necessary to be able to keep the flow. Where would you pull stories from if there is no backlog? Directly out of the product owner's mind?

Context

If you need a backlog and how much of it depends mainly on two factors:

• the experience of your team and the product's stakeholders (including the level of trust between them), a.k.a. the maturity of your system, and
  
• the context ...