Product management is often seen through the lens of user stories—those individual units of work that deliver direct value to the user or the business. But as many of us know, there's more to a well-rounded backlog than just user stories. Today, let's take a detour and explore other types of stories that often sneak into our backlogs: chores, bugs, and release markers.
Why should we care?
You might wonder, "Why do I need to understand these if they don’t provide direct business or user value?" The answer is simple: a well-managed backlog is like a well-oiled machine. For the engine to run smoothly, every cog, no matter how inconspicuous, needs to be in place.
Release markers: your north star
When navigating the product landscape, release markers serve as your north star. They help your team track progress toward concrete milestones like stakeholder demos, software launches, and other significant events. While these markers may not get estimated like regular user stories, they offer something just as valuable: focus and direction.
Release markers enable you to specify target dates for releases, creating a sense of urgency and guiding the team's efforts. It's up to us, the product managers, to time these in our backlogs, providing a roadmap that navigates through the 'what to focus on the when.
Here is some information that you can add to your release marker:
- Goals/objective
- Key features
- Dependencies
- Risks and mitigation
- Stakeholder notes
- User impact
- Metrics/key performance indicators (KPIs)
- Post-release activities
Chores: the unsung heroes
They may not be glamorous, but they keep the lights on. Think of chores as the backstage crew in a theater production. You may not see them in the limelight, but the show can’t go on without them.
Chores such as setting up a new domain or evaluating tools for system troubleshooting might not offer direct value to the user. However, they pave the way for smoother development processes, often preempting obstacles that can cause hiccups down the road.
The beauty of chores is that they often spotlight the often-ignored technical debt or interdependencies with other teams. While we may not assign points to them, chores deserve our attention both for what they represent, and for the efficiencies they create.
The following is information you can add to your chore:
- Desired outcome
- Technical details
- Dependencies
- Estimated duration (timeboxing)
- Documentation
- Risks
A note about spikes
Spikes are investigative chores. Before diving headlong into implementing complex features or solving a problem with too many unknowns, a team could recognize that they lack some understanding. This is where the spike comes into play.
Characteristics of a spike
- Time-bound – Allocate a specific duration for the spike to ensure it remains focused and doesn’t drag on.
- Purpose-driven – The purpose of a spike is to answer questions or acquire information.
- Outcome-oriented – At the end of the spike, you should have a clear direction or solution. The ending should be well-documented and understood by the team.
Bugs: the hiccups
Bugs are like hiccups: unexpected, often annoying, but usually a sign that something needs attention. Unlike user stories, bugs don’t introduce new features; rather, they point to defects in existing ones. Their very existence reminds us that nothing is ever truly done.
While bugs may not carry point estimates, since they relate to already-delivered features, they can't be ignored. Bugs come with their own set of reproduction steps, serving as a humble reminder that any feature, no matter how well-designed, is susceptible to imperfection.
As product managers, it falls upon us to prioritize these bugs, deciding when and where they get addressed in our sprint cycles. A well-handled bug is more than just a fixed issue; it's an opportunity to refine and improve.
Here is information that can be added to your bug:
- Expected behavior
- Actual behavior
- Steps to reproduce
- Screenshots/videos
- Priority/severity
- Reported by
The road ahead
By including chores, bugs, and release markers into our backlogs, we're not straying from the path—we're widening it to create a more holistic approach to product development.
Next time you're grooming your backlog, give these often-overlooked stories the attention they deserve. Remember, it's not just about delivering user stories but also about sustaining and enabling that value delivery.
Happy backlogging!
Additional references
- VMWare Tanzu Labs: Product Manager Playbook
- VMWare Tanzu Developer Center:
