Beware of Confirmation Bias in Backlog Management

Confirmation bias, a phrase coined by English psychologist Peter Watson, is the tendency of people to favor information that confirms or strengthens their beliefs or values, and is difficult to dislodge once affirmed. It is one of the most pronounced cognitive biases, as it affects everyone, everywhere.

It establishes itself in various ways too. People search specifically for information that confirms their beliefs (“biased search”), then we interpret the information in a biased way (“biased interpretation”), and finally our minds trick us by having us remember favorable information better (“biased memory recall”). With all of these elements working together, it’s impossible to not be affected by confirmation bias.

Backlog

The Product Backlog is an emergent, ordered list of what is needed to improve the product. It is the single source of work undertaken by the Scrum Team.

And it’s incredibly prone to being the victim of confirmation bias.

The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team.

The Product Owner is also accountable for effective Product Backlog management, which includes:

• Developing and explicitly communicating the Product Goal;