Forensic Product Backlog Analysis — A New Team Exercise

TL; DR: Forensic Product Backlog Analysis Exercise

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.

Forensic Product Backlog Analysis — A New Team Exercise — Age-of-Product.com

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

Advanced Product Backlog Management Online Course — January 2025, by Stefan Wolpers

👉 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!

🇩🇪 Zur deutschsprachigen Version: Die Forensische Produkt-Backlog Analyse – eine neue Teamübung in 60 Minuten.

🗞 Shall I notify you about articles like this one? Awesome! You can sign up here for the ‘Food for Agile Thought’ newsletter and join 42,000-plus subscribers.

🎓 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.)

Cannot see the form?
Please click here.

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.

Forensic Product Backlog Analysis — Related Articles

Hands-on Agile: Stefan Wolpers: The Scrum Anti-Patterns Guide: Challenges Every Scrum Team Faces and How to Overcome Them

👆 Stefan Wolpers: The Scrum Anti-Patterns Guide (Affiliate advertisement at no cost to you.)

27 Product Backlog and Refinement Anti-Patterns.

Product Backlog Refinement: 14 First Principles

The Product Backlog: 14 First Principles to Help Your Scrum Team Succeed

Product Owner Anti-Patterns — 31 Ways to Improve as a PO.

Why Leaders Believe the Product Operating Model Will Succeed Where Agile Initiatives Failed.

Download the Scrum Anti-Patterns Guide for free.

📅 Scrum Training Classes, Workshops, and Events

Learn more about the Forensic Product Backlog Analysis with our Scrum training classes, workshops, and events. You can secure your seat directly by following the corresponding link in the table below:

Date Class and Language City Price
🖥 🇩🇪 January 28-31, 2025 Professional Scrum Product Owner Training (PSPO I; German; Live Virtual Class) Live Virtual Class €1.299 incl. 19% VAT
🖥 🇬🇧 February 4-6, 2025 GUARANTEED: Hands-on Agile 2025: From Concept-Based to Context-Based Agility (English) Live Virtual Conference FREE
🖥 🇬🇧 February 12-13, 2025 Professional Scrum Master Advanced Training (PSM II; English; Live Virtual Class) Live Virtual Class €1.299 incl. 19% VAT
🖥 💯 🇬🇧 February 27, 2025 Guaranteed: Professional Scrum Facilitation Skills Class (PSFS; English; Live Virtual Class) Live Virtual Class €749 incl. 19% VAT
🖥 💯 🇬🇧 March 6 to April 3, 2025 Guaranteed: Align, Discover, Deliver: The Product Backlog Management Cohort Class (English; Live Virtual Class) Live Virtual Class €499 incl. 19% VAT
🖥 🇩🇪 March 11-12, 2025 Professional Scrum Product Owner Training (PSPO I; German; Live Virtual Class) Live Virtual Class €1.299 incl. 19% VAT
🖥 🇬🇧 March 26-27, 2025 Professional Scrum Master Advanced Training (PSM II; English; Live Virtual Class) Live Virtual Class €1.299 incl. 19% VAT
🖥 🇬🇧 April 10, 2025 Professional Product Discovery and Validation Class (PPDV; German; Live Virtual Class) Live Virtual Class €749 incl. 19% VAT

See all upcoming classes here.

Professional Scrum Trainer Stefan Wolpers

You can book your seat for the training directly by following the corresponding links to the ticket shop. If the procurement process of your organization requires a different purchasing process, please contact Berlin Product People GmbH directly.

✋ Do Not Miss Out and Learn more about the Forensic Product Backlog Analysis — Join the 20,000-plus Strong ‘Hands-on Agile’ Slack Community

I invite you to join the “Hands-on Agile” Slack Community and enjoy the benefits of a fast-growing, vibrant community of agile practitioners from around the world.

Join the Hands-on Agile Slack Group — Forensic Product Backlog Analysis

If you would like to join all you have to do now is provide your credentials via this Google form, and I will sign you up. By the way, it’s free.

Prepare yourself to for teh Forensic Product Backlog Analysis by studying the free Scrum Anti-Patterns Guide:

Download the ’Scrum Anti-Patterns Guide’ for Free — Forensic Product Backlog Analysis — Age-of-Product.com
Find this content useful? Share it with your friends!

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.