So this may be a little bit out there, but I think this may be valuable, so here it goes.
We should have a public Backlog Grooming of features! Here’s what I think it should look like:
- To start, we would need all the features and bugs that are being considered to be in the application, in order of when they are to be worked on. (Things that will be in the next version top, things that would be nice to have someday at the bottom)
- This information would need to be in a place that interested parties could see it at any time.
- Finally, (and this is the part I’m betting will be controversial) on a regular basis, an open vote for the order of priority of the features will be held. The results would be publicly announced and the features with the highest ratings will be given top priority. (A Backlog Grooming, if you will)
- Those working on the application will make the final decisions as to what will be worked on and the cycle will repeat as needed.
I think this would be helpful, because:
- It will give those in the community the opportunity to impact the direction of the application’s development
- It will give the developers of the application insight into what features would make the biggest impact for their efforts
- It may lessen miscommunication and duplicate suggestions when the full backlog can be referenced easily
- It will make it easy to communicate why some features are lower priority than others, or are taking longer than others
Now I recognize that I am making this suggestion in ignorance. I know that the application is being worked on in Git Hub, and I’m sure there is already an established work-stream. I don’t mean to step on any toes. I didn’t see a Backlog like this, but I don’t really know how things work in Git Hub.
If there is something else in place, please let me know!
Either way, let me know what you think!
