This document discusses blending product discovery with product delivery. It provides an agenda for the webinar which includes setting the stage for product agility, blending product discovery and delivery, authoring user journeys, stories, and acceptance tests, and bringing it all together. Tips are provided for authoring stories, journeys, and tests. The goal is to have a product backlog that tells the product story through an iterative process of discovery, building, and learning.

2. Managing the Product Backlog
Blending Product Discovery With Product Delivery
Anne Steiner
anne.steiner@cprime.com
October 23, 2018

3. Intros
• About me…
• 10 years as a FE developer
• 7 years as a PO/PM
• 4 years in recovery
• About this webinar series…
• There is a gap in your agile methodology
• Creating the product backlog
• Managing the product backlog
3

4. Agenda
• Intros
• Setting the Stage – Product Agility
• Blending Product Discovery and Product Delivery
• Authoring Journeys, Stories, and Acceptance Tests
• Bringing It All Together
• What’s Next?
4

5. Setting the Stage – Product Agility

6. Product Agility
Traditional Requirements With Iterative Delivery

7. The Story of Stories

8. Product Agility
Blended Product Discovery and Product Delivery
Traditional Requirements With Iterative Delivery

9. Early Product Discovery
Universe of
Product Ideas
Product
Choices
Collaborative Framing
Pragmatic Personas
Story Mapping
User Interviews
Market Research
Customer Journeys
Opportunity Mapping
Story Splitting
Validation Measures
Story Writing
Prototyping
Product Roadmap
Product Backlog

10. Now, it’s time for stories and tests!
Early Discovery

11. An Ordered List of Journeys

12. Blending Discovery and Delivery

13. Discovery Feeds Delivery

14. Blending Discovery and Delivery
Code
Test
Build
For each journey / feature
For each story
For each test
ATDD
TDD
CI/CD
Product Discovery
Measuring and Learning
Product Delivery

15. How far ahead should discovery be?

16. Discovery and Delivery Cadences
Discovery
Builders
Products
Delivery
A shift towards giving work to teams
not surrounding work with people

17. Authoring Stories, Journeys, and Tests

18. Tips for Story Authoring
1. Make story titles 3-6 words and starting with a verb
2. Every story should answer the questions
• What are we building? (or better yet, what problem are we solving?)
• Who are we doing it for?
• Why is it important?
• When will we be done?
3. Stories describe an independent, testable, and valuable thing

19. Tips for Story Authoring
4. Writing less says more
5. Group acceptance tests into categories
6. Try to make your stories about the same size (but don’t get crazy)
7. Be wary of too many spikes or technical stories

20. Tips for Story Authoring
8. Write stories last (after early discovery and journey authoring)
9. Don’t write stories too soon
10. Keep your story map up-to-date as you add and remove stories

21. Bringing It All Together

22. Blending Discovery, Delivery, and Learning
For each journey / feature
For each story
For each test
ATDD
TDD
CI/CD
Product Discovery
Measuring and Learning
Product Delivery

23. Success Is…
• Having a product backlog that tells the product story
• Iteratively creating new journeys and stories as you discovery,
build, and learn
• Defining stories in a way that layers value
• Embracing a spirit of experimentation and learning (both in the
discovery and delivery cadences)
• Producing what people need
• And not burning out your poor product owners (they have
feelings too)

24. What’s next?

25. Ready to Stop the Handwaving?
Check out some of our past webinars
• Continuous Product Learning
• https://www.cprime.com/resource/webinars/continuous-product-learning/
• The Gap in Your Agile Methodology No One Talks About
• https://www.cprime.com/2018/09/theres-a-gap-in-your-agile-methodology-no-one-
talks-about/
• Creating the Product Backlog: From Idea to Stories
• https://www.cprime.com/resource/webinars/the-gaps-in-your-agile-methodology-no-
one-talks-about/
www.cprime.com/product-category/webinars/ to register for upcoming webinars

26. Ready to Stop the Handwaving?
Read the blog series
• https://www.cprime.com/2018/09/theres-a-gap-in-your-agile-methodology-no-one-
talks-about/
• If you’re in the Bay Area, register for Product Discovery & Product Delivery Training with
Anne Steiner
• Nov 29-30 - https://www.cprime.com/training/product-discovery-and-product-
delivery-training/
• Learn more about optimizing your product strategy
• https://www.cprime.com/product-management/

27. Anne Steiner
anne.steiner@cprime.com
www.cprime.com
@annesteiner7
linkedin.com/in/annesteiner