The business and IT world is abuzz with the widespread adoption of Agile methodology for the delivery of IT projects.
Did you know that according to a study conducted by the Project Management Institute (PMI), ineffective prioritisation of backlog items is one of the top five causes of project failure in agile projects.
Source: Project Management Institute (PMI)
A backlog item refers to a specific task, feature, or requirement that needs to be completed or addressed as part of the project. In Agile methodology, the backlog is described in the form of user stories, which outline the needs, objectives, and acceptance criteria for the item. The backlog serves as the building blocks for planning and execution within an agile project, with the team selecting and pulling items from the backlog to work on during each iteration or sprint.
Prioritising the backlog in the delivery of projects under an agile methodology offers several benefits:
- Customer satisfaction: By prioritising the backlog based on customer needs and feedback, agile teams can deliver the most valuable and relevant features earlier, leading to increased satisfaction and engagement from customers.
- Early value delivery: Agile prioritisation enables the delivery of working software or features in incremental releases. This allows the team to provide value to stakeholders earlier in the project lifecycle, ensuring that the most critical and high-value items are addressed first.
- Adaptability and flexibility: Agile methodologies embrace change, and by prioritising the backlog regularly, the team can accommodate changing requirements, customer feedback, or market conditions. This flexibility ensures that the project stays aligned with the evolving needs and goals.
- Transparency and collaboration: Prioritised backlogs foster transparency within the team and stakeholders, as everyone understands which items are important and what is being delivered next. It encourages collaboration and open discussions about priorities, making it easier for the team to make collective decisions.
- Resource and time management: By prioritising the backlog, teams can allocate resources and time more effectively. They can identify dependencies between backlog items and plan accordingly, ensuring that the most critical tasks are assigned the necessary resources and completed within the desired timeframe.
- Continuous improvement: Backlog prioritisation allows for continuous learning and improvement. As the team gains insights from delivering and gathering feedback on different backlog items, they can use this knowledge to refine their priorities and adjust their approach for future iterations.
At a major federal agency in Australia, our team supported the backlog prioritisation effort on two complex IT projects delivered under the SAFE Agile methodology. Our team implemented the following to prioritise the backlog:
- Review and understand the backlog: We started by reviewing and understanding the items in the IT backlog. We evaluated the tasks, features, and bug fixes that have been reported or are pending.
- Categorise and prioritise: We categorised the backlog items into different categories such as critical bug fixes, essential features, nice-to-have features, improvements, or technical debt. This enabled us to prioritise based on their importance and urgency.
- Consider impact and urgency: We assessed the potential impact each backlog item can have on the agency and its users. We identified items that are critical to the business operations, customer satisfaction, or revenue generation.
- Involve stakeholders: We involved stakeholders such as business leaders, product owners, and end-users in prioritising the backlog. This ensured that their perspectives and requirements were considered, aligning the prioritisation with the overall strategic goals.
- Use prioritisation techniques: We implemented prioritisation techniques like the MoSCoW method (Must-Have, Should-Have, Could-Have, Won’t-Have), or the Eisenhower Matrix). These techniques helped in ranking and ordering the backlog items based on their importance and feasibility.
- Estimate effort and dependencies: We estimated the effort required for each backlog item and considered any dependencies on other tasks or teams. This helped prioritise items efficiently, based on available resources and the ability to deliver results.
- Continuously reassess and adapt: We regularly reassessed the backlog and adjusted priorities based on changing requirements, business needs, or market conditions.
- Communicate and document: We clearly communicated the prioritisation decisions to all stakeholders and document the reasons behind the chosen order. This fostered transparency, ensured alignment, and avoided misunderstandings about the backlog prioritisation.
Prioritising the IT backlog is an ongoing process, and regular reviews and adjustments are essential to effectively manage it.
This is the fourth in a series of nine blogs on Agile methodology. In my next blog, I will look at the importance of Product Increment Planning (PI Planning) in successfully delivering Agile IT projects.
Agile Framework
In the below agile framework, I am sharing a visual one-page diagram on how to implement Agile on a large scale. This framework is based on the process that was implemented at a large Federal Government Agency in Australia (who employ over 20,000 staff). I worked with more than 10 highly mature Scrum Teams at this Federal Agency who have been successfully delivering projects under large scale SAFe Agile methodology for more than 10 years. Please reach out to me at kirtan.jamnadas@aclivity.com.au if you would like to receive this document in PowerPoint format which can be updated.
About the author
Kirtan Jamnadas is a management consultant with over seven years of experience successfully delivering complex IT projects at four large federal government agencies in Australia.
Kirtan is passionate about initiating and driving projects forward while ensuring that all stakeholders are engaged and on board with the project’s goals.
With his employer’s support, Kirtan established the company’s project management practice – this included developing all the frameworks, tools and templates to ensure projects are set up for success.
Kirtan’s mission is to provide current and aspiring project managers with simple and practical tools to help streamline operations, optimise performance and achieve project success.
