Using open source software is all the rage these days, and for good reason. Often teams don’t have the budget to purchase commercial tools, and without an open source solution, their productivity suffers. But open source is not a panacea. There are some challenges that can hit you hard if you aren’t careful.

One way to address poorly defined product backlog items is to spend time refining the items as you go. Refining the backlog continuously helps the team deliver consistently and can lead to shorter planning meetings at the start of the sprint. It can even help improve reliability, velocity, and the quality of work.

While teams are composed of individuals, all of whom solve problems and make decisions, people on consistently successful teams understand that they can be more effective when the focus is on the team, not the individual. Making the best decisions collectively delivers the most value to customers in the long run.