Backlog Refinement versus Requirements Gathering
Stages: Backlog Refining and Sprint Planning Vs. Traditional Analysis – Requirements and Design
| Agile Portal Project | Traditional ERP Customization Project |
| Creation of High Level Epics based on Features
Personas created to map Features to end users Backlog of features that are prioritized for delivery and risk mitigation Continued engagement with the project sponsor Features are slotted for sprints at the user story based on priority, dependencies and complexities |
Requirements are defined, not prioritized in terms of value to the customer Little engagement by the project sponsor Design is assumed to be complete at the beginning of a project
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| Features are dynamic. They are evaluated as part of sprint planning and retrospectives. | Requirements are stagnant. Evaluation is not completed until the holistic product is delivered for testing. |
The Agile Portal project created a dynamic feature backlog. Refienement took place frequently, with features adjusted and removed as the results of production deployments were evaluated. The project finished earlier than anticipated with the product owner recognizing that the minimally viable product had been delivered. Additional features were archived for future consideration and the scrum team was redeployed to other corporate activities.
The Traditional project lacked an iterative approach and missed critical requirements such as UI designs. This created challenges during the user acceptance testing and expensive rework prior to signoff for deployment.
Recommended Further Reading
The following materials may assist you in order to get the most out of this course: