Experiments, ideas, don'ts...

1. Learn to Learn with healthy
Product Backlog Refinement process.
2020

2. A multi-team pbr

3. Groups of Teachers and learners

4. A team learning from an expert

6. The Scrum Guide Says…
“Product Backlog refinement is the
act of adding detail, estimates, and
order to items in the Product Backlog.
…
During Product Backlog refinement,
items are reviewed and revised.”

7. ”Product Backlog refinement is the act of adding detail, estimates,
and order to items in the Product Backlog... “

9. Try USE TEACHING/LEARNiNG TOOLS
youtube.com/watch?v=NLn_mzCfhKw

14. Try not usingEpics
(because they make you focus on wrong things)

15. ???

16. Instead: (maybe) think of stones
Boulders
Rocks
Stones
Pebbles
Gems

17. Size and value don’t corelate really

18. BIG HAIRY
IDEAS
CUSTOMER
VALIDATION
READY
SPRINT
PLAN

19. Try teachingsplitting
https://twitter.com/alexeykri/status/1272452120965459968

20. FLOW OF PBR
Item
size
Level of details
LARGE&
UNREFINED
SMALL &
UNREFINED
CLEAR, TESTABLE
&FEASIBLE
© Roman Pichler
1. ESTIMATE
2. SPLIT 3. REFINE

21. Product Backlog Dev Team
Payment DB
Payment API
Payment
Validation
Payment UI
Technical Split
one sprint one more sprint one more sprint
???

22. Complex negative
scenarios
Complex negative
scenarios
User is informed if
card is not valid
INSTEAD Split BY BUSINESS VALUE
Payment
Payment with
Visa
Payment with
MasterCard
Payment with
PayPal
First positive
scenario
Complex negative
scenarios
User can store card
data for further
usageToo big for a sprint
User is informed if
card is not valid
Still too big for a sprint
Card validations

23. Stakeholders “Buying” Features
id theme title estimate sprint bigger picture url
101 payments Visa: expired card 5 s-5 confluence/payments
102 payments Visa: blocked card 8 s-5 confluence/payments
103 payments Visa: success
(no fund check)
5 s-5 confluence/payments
104 user profile Avatar: upload
(fixed size)
5 s-6 confluence/avatars
105 user profile Avatar: upload
(cropping)
13 s-6 confluence/avatars
106 user profile Password:
auto expiration
2 s-7 confluence/pwd_rules
Flat backlog example

24. VALUE MINING

26. https://www.slideshare.net/kentjmcdonald/21-story-splitting-patterns-49940134

27. https://www.slideshare.net/kentjmcdonald/21-story-splitting-patterns-49940134

28. Try visual splitting (at awhite-board)
linkedin.com/pulse/what-i-tell-yourequirements-like-bubbles-alexey-krivitsky/

29. Ablack hole

30. Splitting in action - certainty and value are clear

34. Try collaboratingwithyour stakeholders
https://agilemanifesto.org/

35. PBR sessions are events inLeSS! Thanks god!
http://www.less.works/

36. IMPORTANT
keep satisfied
INFLUENCE
INTEREST
OTHERS
monitor
KEY PLAYERS
manage closely
AFFECTED
keep informed
Simplified stakeholder map
“Bad guys”

37. Turn stakeholders into collaborators
That guy

39. Classical Scrum Dilemma
(coming from misunderstanding the PO role)
Product Owner vs Stakeholders
“How to make sure PO doesn’t lose control
when the teams are in direct contact with
stakeholders and experts?”

40. try focus on the bigger picture
This guy

42. try focus on the bigger picture
Agenda of a PBR session:
Step 1: Bigger Picture (by PO)
Step 2: Idea Pitching (by Stakeholders)
Step 3: Forming Mixed Groups and Agenda (with the little help of Scrum Masters)
Step 4: Learning Starts (Team Members and Stakeholders)
This guy
This guy

43. Try facilitating PBRs as interactive workshops
“World Café” style
1. Stakeholders as station hosts.
2. A topic per station.
3. Groups rotate across all
stations and all learn and
contribute to all topics
(every 12-20 minutes).
4. => Everyone knows all the
topics but in some details.
Good stuff!
“Open Space” style
1. Stakeholders as session hosts.
2. A topic per session.
3. Groups decide which topics they are
interested in and attend those sessions
(45-60 minutes).
4. => Only some people know specific
topics but in greater details.
Good stuff!

44. Try focusing on the outcome (instead of features)
Features (Output)
1. Focus is on features.
2. Discussions are around scope,
schedules, estimates…
3. Game is about bargaining
(zero-sum game).
Can lead to mediocre solutions
and boredom in teams due to
lack of freedom and creativity.
Impact (Outcome)
1. Focus is on user behavior and metrics.
2. Discussions are around impact and
desired change.
3. Game is about coming up with minimal
product changes to trigger desired
behavior impact (win-win-win).
Can lead to more employee engagement,
cooler solutions and better scope
management (surprise!).

46. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEZIMzIXMmc

47. Learn to Learn with healthy
Product Backlog Refinement process.
2020
Thank you. This was: