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The Tyranny of the Backlog: How Product Teams Get Stuck Shipping the Wrong Things
- Backlogs intended to organize work can end up hindering meaningful work from getting done, resembling a cluttered drawer of takeout menus.
- Many product teams are burdened with maintaining extensive backlogs where a majority of items will never be completed.
- The obsession with completing backlog items can lead to mediocrity and ineffectiveness within product teams.
- Backlogs often become a substitute for actual strategy, preventing teams from focusing on what truly matters.
- The product roadmap can be dictated by the backlog items rather than a strategic vision, impacting competitiveness.
- Some forward-thinking teams are adopting alternative methods like Basecamp's Shape Up and Teresa Torres' Opportunity Solution Trees to escape backlog tyranny.
- Working in cycles on well-defined projects and focusing on customer needs are key principles in breaking free from traditional backlogs.
- Maintaining no traditional backlog at all or adopting a 'Now, Next, Notable' framework are provocative solutions to combat backlog inefficiencies.
- Backlog tyrannies not only impede productivity but also stifle the creativity and passion of product development teams.
- To escape backlog hell, teams must prioritize delivering meaningful improvements over simply clearing backlog items.
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