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Frozen Product Backlog?

Last post 05:04 pm June 5, 2020 by Maria-Christina Evans
2 replies
09:04 pm June 4, 2020

Hello, I am preparing the PSPO certification and have comme across something which has now given me a huge doubt (which I didn't have at all before) after reading Ken Schwabers book "Agile Project Management with Scrum". 

In Appendix A, where the rules are adressed, I read the following rule concerning the Sprint :

"The Team commits to Product Backlog during the Sprint planning meeting. No one is allowed to change this Product Backlog during the Sprint. The Product Backlog is frozen until the end of the Sprint. "

I had always understood that the product backlog is never frozen and that changes can be made to it at any time at the Product Owners discretion.  Can some-one help enlighten me on this?  Is the Product Backlog frozen or not during the sprint?  And if so, when exactly are changes made to it?.  It sounds so contradictary and I would have disregarded this immediately if I had read it elsewhere.

Thank you

 


03:25 pm June 5, 2020

What is the date of that book? Perhaps the Scrum Framework continues to evolve and is not quite frozen either.


05:04 pm June 5, 2020

Lol, I totally understand your answer Ian and as you say......the book dates from 2004!!  After reading the book, a whole load of things just went "whaaaat????" in my mind, this one being one of the worst, hence my post.  But, since posting the question yesterday (which was only approved today), I actually answered this for myself to be honest as it was just not coherent with my understanding of Scrum and the framework. 

I actually took the PSPO exam this morning and despite 1 mistake on the product backlog management (and I still don't have a clue which question that could have been), I was pleased with the 98.8% which for me means that I have understood the basics fairly well.

Thank you for habing taken the time to reply


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