Scrum seduces with its simplicity, common sense and short, but sweet “manual” in form of the scrum guide promising to do “twice the work in half the time”. Yet while it puts a lot of emphasis on the execution, it remains quiet on the topic of defining backlog.
In all the rush of getting things done, how do we know we’re building the right thing? It’s common among engineers to assume backlog comes from Product Owner, but if you’re a company betting on a product to propel you forward, do you want one person to shoulder the responsibility of getting it right?
As much as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a team to define and build a great product. Yes, having one person making final calls is still a good idea as product development is not a democratic process, but many teams are turning to a concept of triad.
Having a small group of people with business insights, user understanding and technical prowess doesn’t guarantee success, but it creates a creative tension and helps to thrash out better ideas.
