Skip to main content

Product Backlog

Last post 01:14 pm April 13, 2015 by Nikhil Sinha
4 replies
04:59 pm April 12, 2015

Can you please help me with this question.

Please select which of the following statement is not TRUE?

a. The Product Owner is always responsible for Product Backlog.
b. The Scrum Master can always author Product Backlog items.
c. Product Backlog is never complete.
d. Product Backlog is always ordered by Risk and Cost.


My answer was (b) which is incorrect. Correct answer was (d). Can you pleas tell me if (d) is actually correct and how? Also if you can tell me what does "Authoring" mean as per option b.

Thanks.


06:36 pm April 12, 2015

Anyone, including the Scrum Master can add items to the Product Backlog.

Scrum does not specify how the Product Backlog is ordered.


01:49 am April 13, 2015

The Product Owner is responsible for ordering the Product Backlog. He can choose any sequence he sees fit. Since he is responsible for creating value, the likely order he chooses is to give precedence to the items with high value.

But he can deviate from this rule of thumb, for example:
- When items have technical or functional dependencies
- An item is not understood well enough
- To group items to make a sensible increment / release
- To handle a high risk item first


12:13 pm April 13, 2015

> Please select which of the following statement is not TRUE?
>
> a. The Product Owner is always responsible for Product Backlog.

The PO wholly owns the Product Backlog and it may not be changed without his or her consent. This is therefore a valid answer.

> b. The Scrum Master can always author Product Backlog items.

Any stakeholder can author a Product Backlog Item; what matters is that the Product Owner understands the value it would add to the Product, and the rationale for admitting it to the Product Backlog. This is therefore also a valid answer.

> c. Product Backlog is never complete.

In an agile way of working, the scope of a product is understood to be in a constant state of flux. The Product is subject to inspection and adaptation as it is released incrementally into its environment. It is therefore true to say that the Product Backlog is never complete.

> d. Product Backlog is always ordered by Risk and Cost.

The way in which a Product Backlog is ordered is entirely at the discretion of the Product Owner, since he or she is responsible for the value delivered. There is no constraint which mandates ordering in terms of risk and/or cost. This assertion is therefore false.


01:14 pm April 13, 2015

Thank you so much Ian, Christiaan and Nitin.


By posting on our forums you are agreeing to our Terms of Use.

Please note that the first and last name from your Scrum.org member profile will be displayed next to any topic or comment you post on the forums. For privacy concerns, we cannot allow you to post email addresses. All user-submitted content on our Forums may be subject to deletion if it is found to be in violation of our Terms of Use. Scrum.org does not endorse user-submitted content or the content of links to any third-party websites.

Terms of Use

Scrum.org may, at its discretion, remove any post that it deems unsuitable for these forums. Unsuitable post content includes, but is not limited to, Scrum.org Professional-level assessment questions and answers, profanity, insults, racism or sexually explicit content. Using our forum as a platform for the marketing and solicitation of products or services is also prohibited. Forum members who post content deemed unsuitable by Scrum.org may have their access revoked at any time, without warning. Scrum.org may, but is not obliged to, monitor submissions.