Forensic Product Backlog Analysis — A New Team Exercise

There is no fluff, just results - all in 60 minutes

Jan 16, 2025

Hello everyone!

The Forensic Product Backlog Analysis: A 60-minute team exercise to fix your Backlog. Identify what’s broken, find out why, and agree on practical fixes — all in five quick steps. There is no fluff, just results.

Want technical excellence and solve customer problems? Start with a solid Product Backlog.

🎓 January 27, 2025: The Advanced Product Backlog Management Course for Just $99!

👉 Please note:

The course includes membership in my former professional students’ brand-new Hands-on Agile community.
The course will only be available for sign-up until February 3, 2025!

🎓 Join Stefan in one of his upcoming Professional Scrum training classes!

A Team Exercise: Forensic Product Backlog Analysis

Your Product Backlog is a mission-critical team artifact. It’s not just a list of features or tasks — it reflects your team’s ability to create value for customers and your organization. (You may have heard this before, but we are not paid to practice “Agile” but to solve our customers’ problems within the given constraints while contributing to the organization’s sustainability.)

Like any critical system, the “garbage in, garbage out” principle applies: inferior Backlogs lead to inferior products.

Here’s a structured 60-minute Forensic Product Backlog Analysis that helps teams identify backlog issues and develop practical solutions. The format based on Liberating Structures encourages participation while keeping discussions focused and actionable. (The exercise is part of the Advanced Product Backlog Management Cohort of March 6-April 3, 2025.)

Step 1: Individual Anti-Pattern Identification (5 minutes)

Each team member identifies five ways to make a Product Backlog low-quality and hamper the team’s potential to create value. This silent brainstorming ensures everyone’s voice is heard, not just the loudest participants. Take personal notes — you’ll need them in the next step. (Learn more about TRIZ.)

Step 2: Small Group Analysis (10 minutes)

Form groups of 3–4 people. Each group merges their individual findings into a top-five list of Product Backlog anti-patterns. The key here is to rank these patterns from worst to least harmful. This step surfaces the most critical issues while building consensus through small-group discussions. (Learn more about 1–2–4-All.)

Step 3: Collective Pattern Recognition (15 minutes)

Bring all groups together. The first team presents their ranked list of backlog anti-patterns. Each subsequent team adds their unique findings, creating a merged, ranked list. This step reveals patterns across different perspectives and helps build a comprehensive view of the challenges. (Learn more about White Elephant.)

Step 4: Root Cause Analysis (20 minutes)

With your consolidated list, analyze each major Product Backlog anti-pattern:

What exactly do you observe?
What might be causing this pattern?
What’s one concrete step you could take to address it?

This structured forensic Product Backlog analysis prevents the discussion from becoming a complaint session and keeps the focus on actionable insights. (Learn more about 9 Whys.)

Step 5: Action Planning (10 minutes)

Choose the top three anti-patterns and develop specific countermeasures. The emphasis here is on practical, achievable steps that the team can implement immediately. Remember, small improvements are better than grand plans that never materialize. (Learn more about 15 % Solutions.)

Why This Exercise Works

The Forensic Product Backlog Analysis exercise works because:

It’s time-boxed: 60 minutes maintains focus and energy
It’s inclusive: Everyone contributes, not just the vocal few
It’s practical: The outcome is a ranked list of actionable improvements
It’s evidence-based: Solutions emerge from observed patterns, not assumptions
It’s team-owned: The group discovers and owns both problems and solutions.

The most valuable Product Backlogs emerge from teams regularly examining and improving their practices. This exercise provides a framework for continuous improvement, helping teams move from identifying problems to implementing solutions in a true Kaizen spirit.

Final Tip: Schedule this session when the team has high energy. The goal is to generate insights leading to improvements, not just create another routine meeting with an action item list no one will ever touch again.

Conclusion

Start with the Forensic Product Backlog Analysis as outlined, then adapt this exercise to your team’s needs. The format is flexible — what matters is the outcome: a clearer understanding of your Product Backlog’s health, concrete steps to improve it, and an improved alignment with stakeholders.

Remember: A strong Product Backlog is a prerequisite for delivering value. Make time to maintain and improve this critical team asset and invest in your team’s reputation and performance — the management and customers will notice.

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