Goal-based Priorization
Lourenço P. Soares | Alexandre Klaser
Backlog

http://www.flickr.com/photos/toiletqueue/
Backlog

http://www.flickr.com/photos/herby_fr/
Ok, but...
Ok, but...
...if there’s no backlog,
what is there?
Effort aligned
to business
goals
Effort aligned
to business
goals
Independent
streams of
work
Effort aligned
to business
goals
Independent
streams of
work
Just enough
to meet the
goal
Recaptulando...
Effort aligned to business goals

What’s the expected result when we
implement a given functionality?
How can we guarantee we are doing what
must be done?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/morganhh/
Once upon a time...
Independent streams of work
What to do when a hypothesis is wrong or
cannot be validated?
How to prioritize streams of work and maintain
business alignment?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/elsie/
Multiple hypothesis
Prioritized by value

User value

High

Low
Low

Business Value

High
Prioritized by value

User value

High

Low
Low

Business Value

High
Prioritized by value

User value

High

Low
Low

Business Value

High
Prioritized by value

User value

High

Low
Low

Business Value

High
Just enough to meet the goal
How to validate a hypothesis with the least
possible effort?
How to avoid that dependency between
stories prevent progress in small increments?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pasukaru76/
I
N
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S
T

ndependent

egotiable
aluable
estimable
mall
estable
I
N
V
E
S
T

ndependent

egotiable
aluable
estimable
mall
estable
I
N
V
E
S
T

ndependent

egotiable
aluable
estimable
mall
estable
Hypothesis are like onions
Satisfaction

Kano Model

Implementation

Basic
met ≠ 
not met = 
Adapted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kano_model
Satisfaction

Kano Model
Performance
met = 
not met = 
Implementation

Basic
met ≠ 
not met = 
Adapted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kano_model
Excitement

met = 
not met ≠ 

Satisfaction

Kano Model
Performance
met = 
not met = 
Implementation

Basic
met ≠ 
not met = 
Adapted from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kano_model
Provide

Levels of attainment of goals
Basic mechanics
It is impossible to know if it is doable
before validating this much
You need to know it to use it
Provide

Levels of attainment of goals
Basic mechanics
It is impossible to know if it is doable
before validating this much
You need to know it to use it

“It’s a proof of concept... Without
this, the experience is broken... I
would never go live with only
this...”
Provide

Basic mechanics
It is impossible to know if it is doable
before validating this much
You need to know it to use it

Satisfy

Levels of attainment of goals

Basic functionality
Meets user needs
Anyone with minimum knowledge
should be able to use it

“It’s a proof of concept... Without
this, the experience is broken... I
would never go live with only
this...”
Provide

Basic mechanics
It is impossible to know if it is doable
before validating this much
You need to know it to use it

“It’s a proof of concept... Without
this, the experience is broken... I
would never go live with only
this...”

Satisfy

Levels of attainment of goals

Basic functionality
Meets user needs
Anyone with minimum knowledge
should be able to use it

“All of our competitors have it... I
would expect it to work... It’s
something even my mom would
understand...”
Provide

Basic mechanics
It is impossible to know if it is doable
before validating this much
You need to know it to use it

“It’s a proof of concept... Without
this, the experience is broken... I
would never go live with only
this...”

Satisfy

Basic functionality
Meets user needs
Anyone with minimum knowledge
should be able to use it

“All of our competitors have it... I
would expect it to work... It’s
something even my mom would
understand...”

Excel

Levels of attainment of goals

Diferentiating proposition
Only the main features of the
product should be at this level
Draw users to the product
Provide

Basic mechanics
It is impossible to know if it is doable
before validating this much
You need to know it to use it

“It’s a proof of concept... Without
this, the experience is broken... I
would never go live with only
this...”

Satisfy

Basic functionality
Meets user needs
Anyone with minimum knowledge
should be able to use it

“All of our competitors have it... I
would expect it to work... It’s
something even my mom would
understand...”

Excel

Levels of attainment of goals

Diferentiating proposition
Only the main features of the
product should be at this level
Draw users to the product

“Only your product does this...
Makes me come back time and
time again... Everyone is talking
about it...”
Deming Cycle
PLAN

ACT

DO

CHECK
Prioritized hypothesis

User value

High

Low
Low

Business Value

High
Excel
Satisfy
Provide

Priority Matrix
Excel
Satisfy
Provide

Now add stories
Excel

Satisfy

Provide

Priority Matrix
Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story
A real-world example
Excel

Satisfy

Provide

Consuming stories
Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story
Excel

Satisfy

Provide

Consuming stories
Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story
Excel

Satisfy

Provide

Consuming stories
Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story
Excel

Satisfy

Provide

Consuming stories
Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story
Excel

Satisfy

Provide

Identifying scope creep
Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story
Excel

Satisfy

Provide

Identifying scope creep
Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story
Excel

Satisfy

Provide

Small finite increments


Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story
Excel

Satisfy

Provide

Small finite increments




Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story
Excel

Satisfy

Provide

Small finite increments




Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story



Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story
Excel

Satisfy

Provide

Small finite increments




Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story



Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story
Excel

Satisfy

Provide

Small finite increments




Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story



Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story

Story
It works in practice…
The whole team using the board

“It helps a great deal when finding
the most important stories”
Recaptulando...

Questions,
Comments,
Suggestions?
aklaser@thoughtworks.com
@alklaser
lous@thoughtworks.com
about.me/lous
Recaptulando...

Further reading

Beyond Good Enough – Darius Kumana (bit.ly/darius_bge)
Systemico Model – Barry O’Rilley & Lourenço P. Soares (bit.ly/systemico)
Kano Model – Jason Mesut (bit.ly/kano_model)
Replacing Requirements with Hypotheses– Josh Seiden (bit.ly/josh_hdd)
INVEST in Good Stories, and SMART Tasks – Bill Wake (bit.ly/invest_stories)

aklaser@thoughtworks.com
@alklaser
lous@thoughtworks.com
about.me/lous

'Pierda Alcance Ahora! Preguntame Como!': Goal-based Priorization