Get your Product Backlog in Jira right! | Jira Tips & Tricks from the Agile Experts

[@onyekachukwuagu8861]

one of the best tutorial I have seen for free Amazing

[@AxisAgileApps]

Thanks Onyekachukwu! Really appreciate your feedback :)

[@Salmanmushtaq-cs3jm]

Thanks for the video. 1 question: What about if we received a bug (new) so we need to add in some EPIC or add a task (type bug)? How to handle the bugs in current sprint and in product backlog?

[@AxisAgileApps]

Hi Salman, thanks for your patience with my response. If a bug is found during the Sprint we need to determine if it’s urgent or not. If it’s urgent then it can be added to the current Sprint but the team will need to potentially adjust the scope of their Sprint Plan if they have not factored in time for this. If the bug is not urgent, then it is added to the Product Backlog and the Product Owner decides on its priority. The bug is fixed in a future Sprint and does not affect the teams Sprint Plan. Hope it helps!

[@hxb6132]

Good aussie quality, thanks! One observation, the "card colour' option for sprint ready items only works when you have created the associated label, this means you have both a label reading 'Sprint ready' as well as a card colour indicating a 'sprint ready' status, a bit of duplication. The customization of the workflow is best in my view. Keep up the good work, Richard.

[@AxisAgileApps]

Very good point, thanks HB!

[@lotionspotions3143]

This content is enormously helpful!! Thank you so much! ❤

[@AxisAgileApps]

It's a pleasure @lotionspotions3143! Thanks so much for your positive feedback 🙏😀

[@klidraik]

Good video. Thanks.

[@AxisAgileApps]

Many thanks!

[@michellembok7805]

This was extremely helpful! It helped me to understand Product backlog refinement a little bit more. Thank you!

[@AxisAgileApps]

Our pleasure Michelle! Thanks for watching :)

[@BestHKisDLM]

Thank you!

[@AxisAgileApps]

You're welcome! :)

[@davidvonbank613]

Great video. Looking forward to more similar content.

[@AxisAgileApps]

Our pleasure David! Thanks for watching :)

[@janangamalshan6236]

Amazing tutorial. Although, I have a question. Should all the issues in PB be weighted with storypoints right from the beginning? If that's the case, why do we use something like planning poker?

[@AxisAgileApps]

Good question Jananga. It's not always necessary to have all issues in the PB weighted with Story Points. The number of issues the team applies with Story Points depends on far ahead a Product Owner (PO) wants to forecast. For example, if my team had 50 issues in the Product Backlog, but the PO only wants a forecast for how long the top 20 will take (because those are what's included in the next release), then ideally the team would estimate those top 20 from the beginning. To answer the second question around Planning Poker, we use it to apply the initial estimates in the Product Backlog, but also subsequent estimates as the Product Backlog will change (items added, split, or updated). For more details on why we use Planning Poker, check out this blog article: www.axisagile.com.au/blog/estimation/planning-poker-at-pace/ If you would like me to clarify, or have more questions let me know :) Thanks! Richard :)

[@rofkec]

Thank you for a great content. You got a sub from me and a like on all your videos! One recommendation: Raise your volume up a little bit. When I have music turned on in the background, your voice is too low, indicating that baseline sound volume on your videos is lower than for others.

[@AxisAgileApps]

Thanks for your support Lazar! And really appreciate the recommendation, we'll adjust our volume on subsequent videos.

[@manuelahensman2071]

Great clear content to align teams!

[@AxisAgileApps]

Thanks Manuela!

[@phanik5986]

Thanks for the video. Can you do all these planning, refining for Rally software as well

[@AxisAgileApps]

Thanks Phani, at this point in time we’re focusing on Jira, but we might potentially branch out to other platforms in future.

[@sayalidivekar29]

Excellent video! Thank you. :)

[@AxisAgileApps]

You're very welcome! Thanks Sayali :)

[@parvathyviswanadh8142]

Thank you! This was very helpful!

[@AxisAgileApps]

Thanks Parvathy! You are most welcome :)

[@rohanpatil9692]

Great work sir 🇮🇳

[@AxisAgileApps]

Thanks Rohan!

[@Nash0303]

Your videos are fantastic!

[@AxisAgileApps]

Thanks Nash! :)

[@gokfaromika955]

Thanks a lot, really very useful!

[@AxisAgileApps]

Thanks Gok!

[@coolreyno]

Thanks for the video. So do you mean you can use Version#1 to call for 1st sprint and Version#2 for the following sprint and so forth?

[@AxisAgileApps]

Hi Coolreyno, typically the Version field is not used for each Sprint, but for each release (i.e. when a Product Increment is delivered to the customer). It can be helpful for Product Owners to use this field to stay focused only on the features that are required for the upcoming release, and to avoid being distracted with what's going to be in the subsequent releases.

[@umeshchandgond6985]

Helped me alot

[@AxisAgileApps]

Thanks Umeshchand! Glad to hear it :)

[@mvsprasanna2656]

Who are the active players while doing these? Is this to be done within the sprint planning or prior to it?

[@AxisAgileApps]

Hi Mvs Prasanna, good questions. Refining the Product Backlog should be done before Sprint Planning. Typically the Product Owner will organise "Product Backlog refinement" workshops during the Sprint to prepare for the upcoming Sprint. When it comes to the active players, most Scrum teams start by having everyone involved. I.e. the Product Owner will invite the entire development team to discuss and refine the upcoming Product Backlog items. That said, it's not mandatory to have everyone involved, and some Product Owners will decide to only invite a subset of the team if it makes sense to do so. Hope it helps, and let me know if you would like me to clarify further. Thanks for watching! Richard

[@mvsprasanna2656]

Hi Richard, Who will estimate the product backlog items? Is it estimated by PO after he/she discuss and refine the product backlog items with entire development team.

[@AxisAgileApps]

Hey @mvsprasanna2656, not sure if you saw my reply to your earlier message? The items are estimated by the developers after discussing it with the PO. Most teams will use Planning Poker to do this. Hope it helps and let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks again!

[@prasadc-ic9jc]

Whats the difference between subtask and child issues ?

[@AxisAgileApps]

Hi there, sorry for the delayed reply. Issues can have a parent / child relationship. For example, an Epic (parent issue) can have child issues which are User Stories, Tasks and Bugs. A User Story (parent) can have child issues such as a subtask. So subtask is simply a type of child issue. Hope that makes sense!

[@prasadc-ic9jc]

@@AxisAgileApps grreat

[@UninteressantEgal]

Is Sprint Ready = Defintion of Ready?

[@AxisAgileApps]

Yup, that’s correct!

[@mario17-t34]

Thanks, How I can tell if issue belong to Backlog ? I work with Jira data import/API and trying to find clear criteria how to set switch for Jira issues Backlog_YN

[@cemkocainan7330]

Thanks

[@AxisAgileApps]

Most welcome, thanks for watching!

[@lukes5631]

@13:44 In the PB refinement summary, I noticed that you didn't cover any "acceptance criteria" in order for a PB Item to be defined as Sprint Ready. Was it intentionally left out?

[@AxisAgileApps]

Hi Luke, thanks for pointing that out! My apologies for the confusion, when I say "description" filled out for the Product Backlog Item i'm implying a User Story with Acceptance Criteria has been added assuming you are using that format. Some teams don't use the User Story format that's why I used "description" as a more generic term.

[@lukes5631]

@@AxisAgileApps Appreciate the clarification. Also, as a young professional looking to transition into and master Agile and the Scrum framework, I'm really loving your content.

[@AxisAgileApps]

@@lukes5631 That's awesome to hear. Thanks Luke :)

[@coolreyno]

Can you add more that one flag on an issue? If yes I assume you can change a flag color?

[@AxisAgileApps]

Hi Coolreyno, thanks for your questions. Jira only allows you to add a single flag to a Product Backlog item.

[@healthywithbenna]

I love this video, I'll just stick to the 1st or second way because it is easy and I love easy stuff. Thank you 😊

[@AxisAgileApps]

Thanks Benna! I like the way you think :)

[@healthywithbenna]

@@AxisAgileApps you're welcome, I will binge watch tonight's. Starting my first scrum job on Monday and will welcome any new videos from you. I also subscribed

[@AxisAgileApps]

@@healthywithbenna Congratulations! If you need any advice we're here to help. You can connect with me on LinkedIn (just search for "Richard Kaupins") or feel free to email me at [e-mail]

[@abs3704]

@@AxisAgileApps That's so generous of you. Thank you!

[@AxisAgileApps]

@@abs3704 Our pleasure! Thanks for checking out the channel :)

[@AnhMinh-sm7uc]

I have problem that: Adding subtask into story and put it in Sprint 1 Sprint have 2-3 story and already have subtask (estimated) on it In the end of sprint, I have 1 story that not done yet: example 2 subtask not done So what should i do next? 1. Put it back to Backlog and pick story to the next sprint, in the next sprint sub task wil be continue as their status on the previous story 2. Move all sub task to done, put back to backlog, on the next sprint re estimate the story to see which sub task need to do 3. Re-oganize story, create task and relate it to story, at the end of sprint, put all the task to done and see if story done or not. If story not done, re estimate it with creating new task related to them Please help! thanks for any advise

[@AxisAgileApps]

Hi Anh Minh, great question. My preference is to keep it simple and go with your first option: Put it back in the Product Backlog, and then add it to a future Sprint. At Sprint Planning, ask the team to re-evaluate the un-finished sub-tasks on the Product Backlog item, and adjust them. This might mean adding new-sub tasks, deleting sub-tasks, or changing the status of existing sub-tasks. Does that make sense? - Richard

[@AnhMinh-sm7uc]

@@AxisAgileApps Thats make sense! Thanks for your advise

[@JaroslavJasek24]

Hello - why I have not Board setting in my Backlog ? I use Free version - this is a reason ?

[@AxisAgileApps]

Hi Jaroslav, sorry about the delayed reply. I suspect you may be using a "Team Managed" project, in which case Board Settings are not available. When creating a project, you'll need to select "Company Managed" and use the Scrum template. Cheers, Richard

[@PMulti]

I hear people talk about parking lot during daily standup so my question is where is this parking lot in Jira and how do you create one

[@AxisAgileApps]

Hey Samuel, it depends on what your team means by "parking lot". It's often used as a term for items that need further discussion - if that's the case for your team, there are many ways to capture it in Jira but the most common would be to create a Product Backlog Item and use a label or workflow status to indicate it is in the "parking lot". Alternatively, if it is work that needs to be completed within the Sprint, I like to have a "blocked" column on the Active Sprint Board. And any items that need further discussion (i.e. are in the parking lot) will be placed in the blocked column until that discussion takes place. Hope that helps, I'll be creating videos related to this in future.

[@PMulti]

Thanks for your reply, what I actually mean is for instance during daily standup if a team member is giving too many details the scrum master often says can we more this to the parking lot so I am trying to understand where this parking lot is in Jira or confluence

[@flawlessgoldenhair2006]

@@PMulti when they say they we at to move a discussion to the parking lot it means after the standup meeting you and that person will stay behind n talk more about that specific ticket on the Jira board, be it a bug or blocker…I hope this helps

[@temitopekade590]

@Samuel, it means something to be discussed further after the time boxed DS. Meaning the people involved can stay back after the initial 15 mins.

[@temitopekade590]

So the parking lot is just a term used. It's neither in Jira or Confluence. It is an a location in the mind !

[@subhasundar9881]

Hi, Do you have any whatsapp group for Agile and Scrum aspirants? thanks.

[@AxisAgileApps]

Hi Subha, sorry we don't have a WhatsApp group at this time.

[@rakeshsekhri454]

Please correct the following understanding: 1. Product Backlog is created by the PO and the SM 2. Product refinement is performed by PO,SM & team (may include subject matter experts etc) this includes story estimates (hrs or story points etc), priority and sufficient detail - DEEP 3. Sprint Planning by PO, SM & team using JIRI The video does not talk about how much time these items take - should we create a Sprint 0 to do this or should it be included in the Sprint 1 timeline?

[@AxisAgileApps]

Hi Rakesh, sorry about the late reply. In response to your questions: 1. The PO is primarily the owner of the Product Backlog, but may have others help in establishing and maintaining it. For example Business Analysts, Technical Experts, Subject Matter Experts etc. 2. That is correct, however it is up to the PO to decide who needs to be present for Product Backlog Refinement. Some PO's only include a subset of the Delivery team which can be fine. 3. Correct, please check out my other videos on how to perform Sprint Planning with Jira :) And lastly, good pickup, yes I didn't mention how much time it take to prepare the Product Backlog (and other details) before the first Sprint. This is because it largely depends on the size and complexity of your project. A small project may only require a few days to prepare the Product Backlog before Sprint 1, while larger projects can require many months. For this reason, I prefer not to call this Sprint 0, as it implies that all the preparation work can be done within a single Sprint which may not be the case. Hope it helps and let me know if you have any other questions, and thanks for watching! :) Richard

[@tusharparmar7142]

Which of these five "sprint-ready" are searchable in Jira?

[@AxisAgileApps]

Hey Tushar, great question. Technically all of them are searchable using Jira's JQL syntax.

[@toby9999]

Personally, I find Jira and the other so called "productivity tools" to be my biggest time waster. One get's to the point where the tools get in the way of the job. Even something as simple as searching in Jira is not simple at all. The Jira search language is a friggin nightmare. So frustrating. Even the Jira GUI is atrocious. Not a fan of the scatter gun design.

[@AxisAgileApps]

Hi Toby, you're not alone. We work with many teams that share your frustration and it's part of the reason we create these videos :)

[@Stgher]

In our team we find it hard sometime to find tickets because they were not created in the correct way. The name of the ticket doesn’t say anything about which feature it’s actually addressing.

[@PMulti]

Samuel Chukwu

[@AxisAgileApps]

Hey Samuel, did you have a question about this video? All I can see is your name in the comment above. Let me know! :) Richard

[@PMulti]

Yes brother I do I have the question above

[@dustinbutler3554]

Please move faster

[@AxisAgileApps]

Hi Dustin, thanks for the feedback. If you mean move the content faster a tip is to adjust the playback speed in KZbin. If you mean produce more content faster, we’re on it ;)

[@showneath]

Brilliant content. The pacing is perfect. We can always adjust the speed if we like.

[@greatladyp6632]

Please how can I contact you ?

[@AxisAgileApps]

Hi Great LadyP, feel free to email me at [e-mail] :)

[@PMulti]

Good afternoon, please can you reply to my message when you can, thanks

[@AxisAgileApps]

Yup, see below :)