Why Is Lack of a Product Goal Problematic?
Without a Product Goal, teams may fall into the habit of selecting backlog items first and only afterward inventing a goal to justify them. This reverses Scrum’s intended order of setting objectives before work, reducing focus and diminishing value creation.
The lack of a Product Goal is commonly considered an anti-pattern.
Metaphor
Working without a Product Goal is like shopping for random ingredients and then trying to invent a recipe on the spot. The result may fill the table, but it rarely adds up to a satisfying meal.
In Scrum, the Product Goal is the recipe that ensures backlog items combine into something coherent and valuable.
Works Consulted
In addition to any sources cited above, the following works informed my thinking:(1)
1.
Wolpers S. Your Unfit Product Goal and the Product Goal Canvas — Making Your Scrum Work (28) [Internet]. 2022 [cited 2025 Sep 4]. Available from: https://www.scrum.org/resources/blog/your-unfit-product-goal-and-product-goal-canvas-making-your-scrum-work-28