Build an opportunity backlog to cure "we'll improve it next time" that never happen

A team often cut scope and someone will say, “We’ll improve it next time.” But, in my experience, as time goes by, people often forget about it.

Hi friend,

Unfortunately, I got Covid-19 and the symptoms were pretty painful. I’m currently still recovering and starting to feel better, I hope you understand why I didn’t send any newsletter last Thursday.

Today, I want to share one simple idea: Opportunity backlog.

Opportunity backlog

A team often cut scope and someone will say, “We’ll improve it next time.”

But, when exactly next time? In my experience, as time goes by, people often forget about it and end up never actually improving that part. I tackle this condition in my team by building an opportunity backlog.

1) It’s simple, whenever we work on a project and we decided to cut scope, we put that into the backlog so we don’t forget.

2) Anytime, we come up with a new idea during our discussion. We’ll add it to the backlog so we don’t forget.

3) The backlog looks like a kanban board with 3 columns: Now, next, later. The column indicates a sense of prioritization. Then the order of the card also indicates a prioritization within each column too. My team uses Asana to capture all of this.