To achieve efficient backlog decisions, POs are taught to stop viewing backlog items as "requirements" and start viewing them as experiments.

• The Shift: Moving from a "Build it because we said so" mindset to an evidence-based approach.

• The Experiment Formula: Every item should follow this structure:

"We believe [doing X] for [Persona Y] will result in [Outcome Z]."

Outcome: This reduces waste by ensuring the team only invests heavily in features that prove their value through validation.

A major hurdle for POs is the "surprise" stakeholder who appears late in the process and disrupts delivery. This section focuses on proactive management by categorizing stakeholders by their influence and interest.

• High Influence / High Interest: These are your "Key Players." Manage them closely and involve them in discovery.

• High Influence / Low Interest: Keep these stakeholders "Satisfied." They don't need daily details but can block progress if ignored.

• Low Influence / High Interest: Keep these stakeholders "Informed." They are often your biggest fans or potential end-users.

• Low Influence / Low Interest: Monitor with minimal effort to avoid "noise" in the decision-making process.

To ensure the team is building the "right thing" before they focus on building it "right," POs must balance two distinct tracks of work.

• Discovery: Continuous activities (interviews, prototyping, research) to determine what will actually solve the user's problem.

• Delivery: The actual engineering work to build, test, and ship the product to a high standard of quality.

• The Balance: A Value Creator ensures the team doesn't get stuck in a "feature factory" mode where they deliver high-quality code that provides zero business value.

This template helps POs ensure that every Sprint Goal is grounded in a business outcome rather than just a list of tickets.

Component

Focus Question

What is the long-term "North Star" we are aiming for?

Goal

Alignment with organizational strategy.

Vision

Alignment with organizational strategy.

Value

What specific benefit does this deliver to the user or business?

Justifying the "Why" behind the work.

Validation

How will we measure if this work actually achieved the value?

Defining success metrics (Outcome Z).

"Review your current Product Backlog. Select three top items and rewrite them using the Hypothesis Formula. If you cannot identify 'Outcome Z' for an item, should it still be at the top of your backlog?"