Down with "Business"
Name the role of the "Business Owner"?
The person requesting the change and/or is accountable for the outcomes and value of the work.
This person owns the work/process before and after it has been completed.
Idea? Project? WR?
"We want customers to better understand their bill payment options."
Idea
You have completed refinement but forgot compliance approval.
Hard stop or continue working?
Hard stop until required approvals are obtained.
The outcome for the WR is not clear.
Time to Refine?
No.
Remain in Idea discovery until the desired outcome is understood.
Where do T-shirt sizes live?
Smartsheet.
NOT ADO.
Someone from the business requests a change to a screen. What is the main danger we must avoid in this situation?
Solving (the how) instead of understanding the underlying business problem and desired outcome (the w's).
Idea? Project? WR?
"Install a new program that monitors call volumes."
Project
Which comes first: T-shirt size or approval?
T-shirt size
A project's T-shirt size is smaller than the starting ROM. Time to keep refining?
✅ Yes.
Approval can be completed as refinements continue.
How many Features can be in a WR?
As many as necessary.
One WR may result in multiple ADO Features.
If you have many features, there is a chance this is multiple WRs - but not always.
Is this an acceptable statement and why?
"Just create a WR and we will figure out the details later."
No. A WR should represent a defined deliverable with a clear outcome, value, and scope.
Unknowns should remain in the Idea phase until sufficiently understood.
Idea? Project? WR?
"Add an Invalid Email flag to Cresta."
WR
The first viability check should happen before ______ and after ______.
Before the WR is created and after the Idea has been understood.
A project has no business value. Time to refine?
❌ No
Refinement should not begin until value and purpose are established.
Where do a WR's requirements live?
ADO
Technical requirements, acceptance criteria, and delivery planning belong in ADO.
Business requirements are captured at a project/idea level in sharepoint.
Name the CORRECT next action for "Phase 2" work introduced during a project.
Evaluate it separately rather than adding work into the current approved scope.
Mark it as potential WRs to be further discussed after prioritized and approved work in completed.
Idea? Project? WR?
"Overhaul the phone system to an AI program that customers can communicate with instead of the IVR."
Name the parties able to create a business case.
All.
The business owners, SMEs, reporting, CIAs and POs - ALL may create and participate in creating a business case.
The business changes the direction of their ask. Time to refine?
❌ Not immediately.
Pause and reassess scope, value, viability, and whether the change represents a different Idea, Project, or WR.
What two items are equivalent in all regards except one lives in Smartsheet and the other in ADO?
WR = Epic
A WR represents the business deliverable. The Epic represents the same deliverable for delivery tracking inside ADO.
Name the party that ultimately determines if work is valuable.
The Business Owner / Sponsor (depending on approval level)
Idea? Project? WR?
"Create a flag in the dunning process, which triggers a letter to the customer."
Could be an Idea or a Project.
Is Multiple WRs.
Business loves the idea.
Tech leads estimate 3 months of work.
No business case exists. Viable?
Not Yet.
Business case must exist.
You are the lead PO on a WR.
You refine, start development, and then realize another team must complete work too. Time to refine?
✅ Stop and reassess.
Determine whether:
Name the ADO equivalent of Smartsheet's "Planned Cost / ROMs."
Story Points/ Effort
Note: The answer isn't exact because ADO estimates effort while ROMs estimate cost/time. The learning objective is understanding they both represent sizing mechanisms.