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

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

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  

Creating value stories

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

Creating value stories

7/18/18 © CMC Partnership (UK) Ltd 16

hCp://www.deltamatrix.com  

Splitting stories so value is retained

•  As a … corporate customer

•  I want to… book a hotel room

•  So I can… work in another location

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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

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•  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

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New  backlog  item  

Refined/split  

High  

priority  

Lower  

priority  

Managing the backlog

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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?