Tamisha Smith

Why backlog chaos kills delivery (and morale) If everything is a priority, nothing is. Most delivery leaders know this in theory . And yet, backlog chaos remains one of the most common — and most damaging — patterns I see across teams. On the surface, it looks like commitment. Urgency. Responsiveness. In reality, it’s usually a symptom of something deeper: fear of saying no, lack of shared clarity, or leadership misalignment upstream. And teams pay the price. When ‘ just add it to the backlog...

Reading the room is the bridge between process and people. Do it well, and your team won’t just deliver more — they’ll thrive while doing it.