The 'right' amount of information

I am often asked, what’s the right amount of information for an item in the Product Backlog.

First, there is no “right” amount of information. And second, less is more.

There is no "right" there is only "right for us"

First, only the Scrum team can say how much documentation is necessary for their unique environment. Some Scrum teams use physical sticky notes to document their Product Backlog items. These teams may have a title and short description on each sticky note and nothing more. Other Scrum teams use electronic whiteboards and have ten or more bullet points documented on each Product Backlog item. Some teams write their Product Backlog items in the User Story format, and others use Gherkin. There is no right or wrong here - it's just what works for your team's culture.

However, each Scrum team must work within the broader context of their organization and industry standards. For example, many organizations have standards around the amount of information that needs to be documented for each change. These guardrails may be part of a Change Control process or an organizational Definition of Done. There may also be legal requirements to consider. If your Scrum team works in a heavily regulated industry, then there may need to be a detailed ticket created for each change made.

Part of the Scrum Master's service to the Product Owner is finding techniques for effective Product Backlog management. This may include helping the Scrum team navigate where to keep their Product Backlog and how much information is required for each Product Backlog item.

Ultimately, the Scrum team decides how much information is needed to meet organizational requirements, regulatory requirements and Scrum team needs.

Less is More

Not to go all 'Agile Manifesto' on you, but one of the four values included in the Agile Manifesto is "working software over comprehensive documentation" and another, similar value is "Individuals and interactions over processes and tools". These values emphasize that documentation is not a value in and of itself unless it is in support of value delivery.

The focus of Scrum teams should be on value delivery. When we overly focus on documentation it can become a hindrance to value delivery. For example, before I was part of an Agile team, I was part of a Waterfall team. As part of my Waterfall experience, I have written some beautiful Requirements documents which - in my opinion - were really works of art. But by investing so much time in documentation, what I was really doing was creating waste. No one needs such a beautiful, grammatically correct, color-coordinated Business Requirements document to deliver value in a complex environment. Those Requirements documents were out of date by the time they were signed, stamped, and approved.

Conclusion

Documentation should be limited to just what is necessary – and no more. Adding detail, order and size to items in the Product Backlog is a continuous activity which happens every Sprint. The right amount of information for one team - or even one Product Backlog item - may be too much or too little for another. Only the Scrum team can decide what is necessary and helpful in their unique environment. That flexibility is part of the power of Scrum.

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