We are making an audacious claim: our beautiful backlog is broken. Rather than serving as a tool for value management and embracing change, it has devolved into a requirements reservoir. It breaks the value stream and disconnects the team from the customer. Worse, it places unrealistic expectations on the product owner for all but the smallest teams.
Yet, for many teams, their backlog is not broken. What is the difference between broken backlogs and backlogs that are effective value management tools? The Rock Crusher is an integrated set of backlog management success patterns we have observed. Published in May 2023, The Rock Crusher is a model for flow-based backlog management that returns the backlog to its original intended purpose as a tool for active value management. We can use the Rock Crusher model to diagnose and improve our backlog management practices.
During this short workshop, participants will begin using the Rock Crusher Canvas to diagnose their backlog problems and learn how to use the Rock Crusher Canvas to fix their backlog problems.