Backlog Prioritization for Agile Teams
Not what comes first.
What we let go of for it.
Prioritizing is the first part. Letting go is the hard part.
Setting priorities is only the beginning, and hard enough on its own. Yet it is only half of it: prioritizing does not mean learning to say no, to stop things and to let them go. That is the part so often skipped, or ignored altogether.
To gain speed, something has to go overboard. The question is what, and why.
What goes overboard?The cannons
The heaviest by far. But then nothing is left to defend the ship.
The water barrels
A few could go. But the voyage is long.
The cargo
Heavy, and the reason for the voyage. Or is it?
The rum
Light enough to go.
The crew will probably disagree.
One thing overboard.
That should do it, right?
We have come too far to turn back now
Along the way, more and more is taken on board, and nothing is put ashore.
The more time, money and heart is in it, the harder it is to let go.
Setting sail
Fair weather, and room on board.
Halfway there
More on board, rougher seas.
Turning back feels like a waste.
Into the storm
Too far to turn back.
Too heavy to get through.
The further we sail and the more we load, the harder it is to let go. That is exactly when it matters most.
Five ways the ship gets overloaded
When nothing is let go, every new priority adds to the load: in the backlog, and across the whole system.
How shifting priorities show
Typical indicators. Not a complete list, but the ones that show up most often.
How to make room
First, label the cargo. Then load only as much as the slowest part of the crew can handle.
Urgent and important
What makes it soA real deadline with real consequences, and it serves the goal.
What happensIn first, as soon as there is room.
Important, not urgent
What makes it soIt serves the goal, but no date forces it yet. Upkeep and improvement often sit here.
What happensPlanned in. It waits its turn, and it gets one.
Urgent, not important
What makes it soSomeone needs it soon, but it does not move the goal forward.
What happensHanded over, or answered briefly.
Neither
What makes it soNo date, and nothing it adds to the goal. Often an old wish nobody remembers.
What happensOverboard.
If everything has to stay, everything is important, therefore nothing is. Not deciding is a decision that will lead to the system deciding for you. Whether you like it or not.
There is always an order, even when nobody names it. What stays unclear is the consequence. Not deciding feels like the safe choice, yet it always costs something, and the people in the system pay for it: with their time, with their health. In the end that costs the company far more than any decision would have.
Self-check: what is your highest priority?
You can only make one choice.
Based on which rules did you decide?
Do you see a pattern in your choices?
Why were you willing to let some things go, and others not?
Who set the rules you follow?
Ready to make room?
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