Step 1: Start with product vision that teams can actually execute A product vision is not a slogan. It is a decision-making filter. Rod Claar / Tuesday, February 24, 2026 0 1014 Article rating: No rating If the team cannot use it to prioritize backlog items, it is not actionable. Read more
Step 2: Identify customers, users, and the decisions that matter Most backlogs fail for one reason: They optimize for features instead of decisions. Rod Claar / Tuesday, February 24, 2026 0 1082 Article rating: No rating If you cannot name: Who you serve What they are trying to decide What “job” they need completed Your backlog will drift. Read more
Step 3: Turn outcomes into backlog slices (without giant stories) Large stories hide risk. Small slices expose learning. Rod Claar / Tuesday, February 24, 2026 0 1062 Article rating: No rating If a backlog item cannot be completed inside a Sprint with clear acceptance criteria, it is not sliced—it is deferred complexity. The goal is not smaller tasks. The goal is small increments of validated outcome. Read more
Step 1: Understand what “Developer” means in Scrum (and what it does not) In Scrum, Developer is not a job title.It is an accountability. Rod Claar / Tuesday, February 24, 2026 0 891 Article rating: No rating Per the Scrum Guide, Developers are the people in the Scrum Team committed to creating any aspect of a usable Increment each Sprint. That includes coding—but is not limited to coding. Read more
Step 2: Turn backlog items into “buildable slices” (small, testable, valuable) Oversized stories create hidden risk. Buildable slices create flow. Rod Claar / Tuesday, February 24, 2026 0 1104 Article rating: No rating If work does not fit comfortably inside a Sprint with clear acceptance criteria, it is not ready. The objective is not smaller tasks. It is small, usable increments that deliver observable value. Read more