Backlogs - Agile on the Beach · Backlogs – the good, bad and ugly 1. Using goals to improve...

Backlogs

the good, the bad and the ugly Lynda Girvan

Introduction

Backlogs – the good, bad and ugly

1.  Using goals to improve backlogs

2.  Creating value stories

3.  Splitting stories to retain value

4.  How to effectively incorporate NFRs

1. Using goals to

improve backlogs

Using goals to improve backlogs

•  If you want to succeed you need to set

goals

•  Goals setting enables you to control the

direction of the work

•  Goals are a benchmark for assessing

whether you are actually achieving

Backlogs and goals?

•  If just high-level project goals we can lose

sight of whether we are achieving value

Agile Hierarchy:

!  Tasks

!  Stories

!  Releases

Copyright©2017, Girvan and Paul, Agile & Business Analysis, BCS

Decomposing goals

•  Don’t split big goals

into big plans

•  Don’t functionally

decompose


Using goals to improve backlogs

Bad – Don’t create backlogs that

define technical design

Ugly - Don’t jump straight to

stories

Good – Use goals/outcomes to

articulate business value

2. Creating value

stories

Goal decomposition

As an event organiser I want to plan and execute a 10km fun run.

Think how you might

decompose this

story?

Goal V Functional decomposition

Func:onal decomposi:on Goal decomposi:on

Plot route

Advertise

event Organise marshalls

Find

Sponsors

Buy

Medals

Small free 10k event with marshalls

Running event

(50 people)

with sponsors

and entry fee

Small 10k run with 5 friends

Creating value stories

Bad - Don’t split big goals into big

plans

Ugly - Don’t decompose your goals functionally into work tasks

Good - Decompose big goals into

smaller goals

3. Splitting stories

and retaining value

Splitting stories to retain value

Independent

Nego?able

Valuable to users or customers

Es?matable

Small

Testable


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Splitting stories so value is retained

•  As a … corporate customer

•  I want to… book a hotel room

•  So I can… work in another location


Which part of the story is the goal?

book hotel room

book a hotel room

Splitting stories so value is retained

•  As a … corporate customer

•  I want to… book a hotel room

•  So I can… work in another location


•  Book by phone, email, through website

•  Book one hotel room, multiple rooms,

different dates, book rooms for multiple

people

book a hotel room

Patterns for splitting stories

•  Interface (iOS, Android, browser)

•  User type (UK, EU, Persona based)

•  Split by CRUD

•  Scenario flow (basic flow, alternative flow,

exceptions)

•  good, better, best

See Tony Heap blog -‐ hCp://www.its-‐all-‐design.com/how-‐to-‐split-‐user-‐stories/

Managing the backlog


New backlog item

Refined/split

High

priority

Lower

priority

Managing the backlog


Refined

stories

Important

Less

important

High

priority

Lower

priority

Splitting stories and retaining value

Bad - Don’t split stories by justification

(so I can….) part of story

Ugly – Don’t split stories that don’t

need splitting yet

Good – Split stories so that the

value is still obvious

4. How to effectively

incorporate NFR’s

into your backlog

What are non functional

requirements?

Func?onal requirement

What the systems needs to do

•  Func?ons

•  Behaviour

Non func?onal requirement

How well it does it

•  SoW goals

• Global quali?es

Categories of NFRs

•  Persistent

•  Set constraints/limits

• Need to be known upfront Global

•  opera?onal

• Make func?onality beCer

•  Evolve over ?me Associated

Global (persistent) NFRs

•  need to be known up-front

Constraint

The database &

access code will

be reusable in

future

applications NFR

System must be

compliant with

GDPR

NFR Access to data held within the system must be limited according to permission rules

Global NFR

NFR Document

DOD

Add to

‘Defini?on

of Done’

Associated NFRs

Value stories

End-‐user

Associated

NFR End-‐user

•  need to be known just-in time • Add to confirma?on

• Include in BDD scenarios

• Add to defini?on of done

Testing for Value

Story In Progress Tested Done

task

task

task

task

Story

•  The sum of the parts does not always equal the whole

•  Test for value

•  Use BDD/confirmation tests

Incorporating NFRs into backlog

Bad - Don’t write NFRs as user stories.

They don’t add value on their own.

Ugly –Don’t just test the tasks, test the

story

Good – Understand and capture global

NFRs upfront and document

Lynda Girvan

Questions?

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