Building trust through visible backlogs

🎮 As a gamer and product manager, I’m always inspired by game development studios, from their creativity to their product and project management. The way they manage large-scale development while engaging communities is something I continually draw insights from. Recently, I came across something that made me stop and think: Apex Legends’ public Trello board. You can check it out here: https://lnkd.in/eBpw3sk7 I was really impressed, Apex Legends is making their development process transparent (not all, which is clearly mentioned, but at least some)? Bugs, fixes, and upcoming updates laid bare for all players to see. But after exploring it, I realized that this isn’t just about transparency. It’s an excellent example of agile product management and community-driven development. It’s funny that sometimes internal teams hide information or aren't transparent with each other, yet here is a public-facing example of transparency driving engagement and trust. It really shows how openness can create stronger connections and better collaboration, both internally and with users. 1. Known Issues Visible to Users: Instead of players endlessly speculating about when an issue will be fixed, Respawn Entertainment is open about the problems. Players can track what’s being worked on and what’s already been addressed, which builds trust and reduces frustration. 2. Real-Time Progress Tracking: The board is frequently updated, providing insights into what’s in progress, being tested, or coming in the next update. This level of visibility is something most teams prefer to keep behind closed doors, but it helps players feel involved. As a product manager, I couldn’t help but think about how much we could apply this to other industries. Transparency isn’t just about keeping users informed; it’s about creating a culture of collaboration, accountability, and trust. So, what’s the takeaway for PMs? 1. Transparency builds trust: When users see progress and know you’re actively listening, they’re more engaged with your product. 2. Feedback drives better decisions: By opening up the roadmap and backlog, you foster real conversations about what truly matters. 3. Agility in action: By showing real-time progress and being transparent about blockers, your team remains flexible and responsive.

A well-structured product backlog organized hierarchically from strategic epics down to actionable user stories gives product teams a reliable framework to plan, prioritize, and adapt. When that structure is made visual through user story mapping, the benefits multiply. Teams can literally see how features connect to goals, how users move through the product, and where the real value is being delivered. This clarity is especially powerful when working cross-functionally, where roles like product managers, business analysts, developers, QA, and designers need a common language. This traceability reduces wasted effort, improves prioritization, and supports better stakeholder communication. It also allows teams to shift priorities with confidence, knowing how changes at one level affect others. In sprint planning, this structure provides a ready, well-organized set of tasks that reflect both user needs and technical considerations, making it easier to deliver valuable increments every cycle. Key Short-Term Gains for Teams ➡️ Improved shared understanding ➡️ Faster onboarding ➡️ Better planning decisions ➡️ More focused discussions ➡️ More valuable backlog grooming Key Long-Term Gains Across the Product Lifecycle ➡️ Stronger stakeholder collaboration ➡️ More effective prioritization ➡️ Higher delivery quality ➡️ Increased agility ➡️ Sustainable product evolution A visual map gives clarity. Everyone sees how the work fits together. Teams avoid duplications and gaps. Stakeholders understand priorities without needing to interpret technical tickets. Dependencies become obvious and manageable. ✅ Alignment and Shared Understanding Story maps help everyone—from leadership to engineering—stay aligned on what’s being built, why it matters, and how it will be delivered. ✅ Prioritization and Scope Control Visualizing stories under journey steps makes it easier to decide what’s essential. You can defer or remove non-critical stories without losing track of them. ✅ Identifying Gaps and Dependencies Seeing the structure exposes missing stories or blockers early. This proactive view reduces risk and rework. By combining structured backlog hierarchy with visual story mapping, product teams set themselves up for short-term efficiency and long-term strategic delivery. It’s not just about getting work done. It’s about doing the right work in the right order, with clarity that lasts. #visualproductbacklog #userstorymap #backloghierarchy #productdevelopment #productbacklog #agile #productstartegy

Teams often struggle to know if they’re making real progress. Big backlogs. Long cycles. Endless planning. What helps cut through all that? Fast feedback. Visible work. Continuous validation. The best team I ever worked with had a simple rule: → No user story took more than a day to finish. → Every story had to create a visible change. No invisible backend work with no impact. No tickets sitting in limbo. Every day → Something real. Every day → Something testable. Every day → Something we could show a stakeholder. That rhythm of tiny wins? It didn’t just move the product forward. It built trust—within the team and with the clients. Because when work is visible, testable, and continuous, you create the conditions for real collaboration.