Product Backlog Mastery Workshop

In complex environments, work often starts too early, conversations are too few, and transparency breaks down. This immersive, three-hour workshop equips agile teams and leaders with practical, flexible techniques to define, refine, and manage their backlogs—not as task lists, but as dynamic artifacts that communicate intent, enable collaboration, and drive measurable outcomes. Through frequent discussions, rapid feedback loops, and structured hands-on exercises, teams learn how to deliver the right work at the right time—only when they’re ready.

• Stakeholder and customer empathy mapping
• Backlog creation techniques: stories, jobs-to-be-done, experiments
• Lightweight backlog refinement patterns
• Effective prioritization frameworks (e.g., MoSCoW, Kano, Value vs. Effort)
• Visual roadmapping (e.g., Now-Next-Later)
• Enabling transparency and shared ownership
• Aligning backlog work with measurable goals and outcomes
• Role clarity: who owns what in backlog evolution
• Applying hypothesis-driven development and lean validation

By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Co-create a backlog that reflects customer needs, business goals, and technical insight
• Collaborate as a team to decide when work is ready for implementation
• Maintain a transparent and emergent roadmap aligned to real feedback
• Use decomposition and slicing techniques to reduce risk and maximize learning
• Make backlog decisions using shared understanding rather than gut instinct
• Facilitate backlog-related conversations in short, structured formats

• Product managers and product owners
• Business analysts and UX researchers
• Agile team members (developers, testers, designers)
• Scrum Masters, agile coaches, and team leads
• Anyone contributing to prioritization and planning in an agile environment

No certifications required

Attendance in the Common Language Workshop is very helpful

A foundational understanding of Agile values and iterative delivery is recommended. Ideal for cross-functional teams attending together.

This is a skills-based workshop focused on practice, not theory. Participants will receive a certificate of completion. While no formal exam is included, participants will have the opportunity to self-assess their backlog proficiency using practical challenges and reflection checklists.

• Three-hour live workshop (in-person or virtual)
• Workshop workbook with templates: persona maps, story formats, slicing tools
• Access to digital collaboration boards used in the session
• Follow-up resource pack and roadmap planning toolkit
• Post-workshop office hours with the instructor (1 week later)

Deborah Andrews (She/Her) is an experienced leader in people operations and talent development, with a proven track record of creating award-winning workplace cultures and fostering innovative learning solutions. As a former Director of People Operations, she has designed and implemented strategic initiatives that empower teams, enhance onboarding experiences, and drive organizational success.

Currently serving as the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Ready Set Agile, Deborah focuses on delivering courses to support workforce readiness and career development. Her expertise in building strategic alliances and facilitating impactful programs has made her a trusted leader in the industry.

Deborah earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Communication from the University of Dayton and her Master’s Degree in Organizational Communication from Texas State University of San Marcos, equipping her with the skills to foster collaboration, engagement, and cultural transformation in organizations.

John Riley is an experienced Agile Coach, Professional Scrum Trainer and community speaker helping others embrace the values and purposes of agility.  He believes in the simple principles of continuous learning, a test-first mindset, and enabling teams to be self-organizing to foster creativity and continuously deliver the highest value to users.

John’s background in manufacturing and software delivery allows him to lead by example to coach individuals, teams, and organizations to achieve their highest abilities.