The lost art of amplification

Product innovation using Scrum

Most Scrum teams have a product backlog and then order in some way.  Normally high value or best ROI is at the top and low value at the bottom.  If you were to burn down that backlog over time, early sprints would be delivering the highest-value items. Over time the value of items will be lower and lower.  In the diagram below, notice the first sprints have a huge increase in value, but over time there is a diminishing return.

Sprint Reviews are often glorified demonstrations where backlog items were built, shown and feedback received.  Most people find this tedious and boring. It is not so much a demo and getting a pat on the back for delivering what is needed, but are golden opportunities if played right. Instead, the conversations should change to how to take new learnings and amplify them.  What ideas do people have to improve ROI and get a better bang for the buck?  Is there anything that will turn a good product feature into a great product feature or even a feature no one can live without?

It is about amplifying and using learned knowledge of what was done and then exploring how to improve it. When an amplification approach to backlogs is leveraged, it will encourage innovation and focus on higher value. Something wonderful for products.  The result could lead to the next sprints delivering higher value, as seen in the diagram below

During each Sprint Review, the stakeholders and Scrum Team collaborate on identifying how to amplify their ideas.  They see sprints as more than just an iterative work order system, but one of uncovering, discovery and emergence.

The first approach is exhibiting a project mindset where work and scope are delivered.  It comes across more of a work-order system using iterations to manage work packages (sprints).  Product Development is completely different, and it is not just churning out work. Instead, it is about designing and discovering the product and what your market “really wants” and is willing to pay for.  One should not treat a Product Backlog as a fixed scope but rather as a living artifact that aims to focus on the highest value from what is happening in your market and new insights.  Product development requires creativity, problem solving and innovation. Treating product development like a fixed-scope project will result in substandard products that will likely miss real opportunities.

It is imperative that we break the crazy thinking that perfection can be achieved on the initial ideas and just burn down the backlog. IT WON’T.  This is why we iterate, learn and emerge better solutions. This is what product development is about.

Image inspiration:  Turning your lead ideas into gold through your team (the innovation machine).