🧩 Pieces that Clicked – Week of 07/25-07/31
I’m thinking in public because clarity doesn’t come fully formed—it’s assembled piece by piece. These are the ideas that fit into place this week. As I piece things together, feel free to scan the table—maybe one of these fits a gap you’ve been trying to close.
My Top Five
A Bloated Product Backlog Erodes Trust
Rehashing Old Backlog Items Adds No Real Value
Product Owners Safeguard Value Delivery by Saying No
Protecting Team Capacity Leads to More Meaningful Delivery
Reversing Nos Erodes Product Owner Credibility
Let's Learn Together
I don’t have all the answers—this is a space for exploring ideas, not preaching them.
- What resonated?
- What would you challenge?
- What did this remind you of in your work?
Use the feedback bubble in the bottom-right corner—even a short note is valuable.
The Rest
Sprint Goals Steer Sprints Toward the Product Goal
A Product Goal Channels Value Toward Meaningful Outcomes
Ready Means a Work Item Can Be Started or Planned Confidently
The Entire Product Backlog Is Never Fully Ready
The Definition of Ready Is Not Part of Scrum
Overly Strict DoR Can Delay Valuable Work
Readiness Results From Effective Backlog Refinement
The Product Backlog Provides Transparency and Alignment
Stakeholders Include Anyone Impacted by the Product
Stakeholder Engagement Helps Reduce Risk and Guides Product Direction
Clear Stakeholders, Clear Direction
Proven Techniques for Stakeholder Engagement
Stakeholder Engagement Is a Whole-Team Responsibility
Scrum Actively Involves Stakeholders via Events Artifacts and Commitments
Sprint Reviews Enable Real-Time Stakeholder Collaboration
Empirical Planning Beats Fixed Expectations
Adding Backlog Items to Avoid Conflict Erodes Trust
Episodic Reviews Prevent Stale and Irrelevant Backlog Items
Creation and Update Dates Help Identify Stale Backlog Items
Moving Low-Value Items Out of the Active Backlog Improves Focus
Continuous and Episodic Refinement Serve Different Purposes
Deleting or Moving Items Keeps the Backlog Relevant
When Sprint Reviews Are Empty, Feedback Still Matters
Clarifying the Stakeholder Role Strengthens Collaboration
Clear and Firm Nos Prevent Confusion and False Hope
Sharing the Why Behind a No Improves Decision Quality
Saying No Doesn’t Mean Saying Never