What Is the Risk of Overcomplicating the Product Backlog?
Overcomplicating the Product Backlog by adding too many work item types or product backlog item attributes reduces its transparency and makes it harder to manage.
Teams should aim for simplicity by minimizing required attributes and trusting in refinement over time to add appropriate detail. Simplicity enhances transparency and effectiveness.
After all, the Scrum Guide itself only mentions three attributes. You can get away with far less than what you imagine.
Metaphor
Overloading the Product Backlog with item types and attributes is like turning a simple to-do list into a tax form; the more fields and categories you cram in, the harder it becomes to see what matters. Simplicity keeps the backlog usable and transparent—focus on what helps the team make decisions, not what clutters the view.
Works Consulted
- Product Backlog Item Attributes | Scrum.org | Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.