The Backlog: Crunching Knowledge for Breakfast

The first thing we did was obviously to start studying the backlog. We soon realized it was not worth it – it was completely indecipherable. We soon asked for help from BAs, but the more we talked to them, the more we realized they were parroting something that someone else said. Yes, that place was big. Loaded with people, procedures, middlemen, and constraints. We decided we had to dispose of the practices for normal duties and switch to the ones for systemic emergencies.

So, one morning we invited all the relevant stakeholders (users, BAs, and many others) in the same room with our team for an epic story map session. We had all the key people there ready to answer all of our questions. All BAs, including those from other teams, were also present so they could clarify their understanding too.

First, we identified our personas, because that was one of the most blurred concepts in our minds. That gave a new perspective to...