Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile storytelling from the trenches Xmas Special: Keep Your Backlog Microscopic - The #NoBacklogs Revolution With Vasco Duarte | Vasco Duarte
In the fourth episode of the “5 Wishes for 2025” series, Vasco Duarte takes on a common yet overlooked productivity killer: the monster backlog. With humor, relatable analogies, and practical advice, Vasco shares how organizations can turn their overwhelming backlogs into powerful tools for focus and impact.
The Backlog Problem: When More Becomes Too Much“Your backlog should be like your fridge, not your basement – keep only what you’ll use soon, not what you might need someday!”
Vasco opens by comparing bloated backlogs to storage boxes filled with old cables and chargers: seemingly useful but rarely touched. Sharing the story of Juha, a leader overwhelmed by a five-year backlog of epics, Vasco highlights how backlogs can grow out of control, becoming a source of stress rather than a tool for productivity.
A #NoBacklogs Approach to Backlog Management“Your backlog should only contain work for the next 2-3 sprints. That’s it!”
Vasco introduces a game-changing rule of thumb:
-
Short-Term Focus: Limit the backlog to items that can be completed within the next 2-3 sprints.
-
Medium-Term Planning: Use a problem-centric roadmap to outline key issues to tackle in the next 6-9 months, and a technology strategy to align on longer term tech priorities (more on that in an upcoming episode)
-
Long-Term Vision: Create a clear vision document to connect today’s work to future goals.
By managing backlogs with these three distinct timelines, teams can regain clarity and focus without sacrificing strategic alignment.
The Problem-Centric Roadmap: A Tool for Clarity“Think of it as three zoom levels on your product map – focus on what you need today, tomorrow, and the distant future.”
Vasco explains how a problem-centric roadmap helps teams prioritize medium-term goals by focusing on the most critical customer problems. Combined with a clear long-term vision, this roadmap empowers teams to align their efforts without being overwhelmed by irrelevant details.
The Hidden Danger of Monster Backlogs“At conferences, I’ve met teams with 10-year-old backlog items – that’s like keeping your Y2K plans ‘just in case’!”
Vasco shares surprising stories of teams with decade-old backlog items. These “zombie tasks” highlight the need for a system to prevent backlogs from growing unchecked. Without proper management, backlogs can cause anxiety and hinder teams from delivering value.
A Wish for 2025: Make Backlogs Short And Easy To Manage!“Let’s turn our backlogs back into the focusing tools they were meant to be.”
Vasco’s fourth wish for 2025 is to see teams use backlogs as powerful prioritization tools, not bottomless pits of forgotten ideas. By embracing a short-term backlog, medium-term roadmap, and long-term vision, teams can stay focused, aligned, and productive.
See It in Action: Global Agile Summit 2025“Want to learn how real teams are taming their monster backlogs? Join us in Tallinn!”
Vasco invites listeners to the Global Agile Summit 2025 in Tallinn, Estonia, where teams will share practical strategies for managing backlogs effectively. Holiday listeners can snag a 75% discounted Super Early Bird ticket at GlobalAgileSummit.com.
About Vasco Duarte
Vasco Duarte is a thought leader in the Agile space, co-founder of Agile Finland, and host of the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast, which has over 10 million downloads. Author of NoEstimates: How To Measure Project Progress Without Estimating, Vasco is a sought-after speaker and consultant helping organizations embrace Agile practices to achieve business success.
You can link with Vasco Duarte on LinkedIn.