Don't Gild the Lily

There’s an old expression — don’t gild the lily. It means to try not to over decorate something that’s already beautiful on its own. Sometimes I want to tell a Product Owner that I am working with not to gild the lily by overloading their requirements with solutions.

It’s natural to want clarity - in fact the Developers need it. And it’s absolutely appropriate to state what outcome you want. But sometimes, in the quest for clarity, Product Owners start adding details that become less about what is needed and more about how they think it should be done. And that’s where the trouble starts.

When we pack too many specifications, assumptions, solutions, and step-by-step instructions into a Product Backlog Item, we unintentionally limit the creativity of the Developers as to how to deliver the requested work. We choke off options. We remove the space where innovation lives. The requirement might look beautifully detailed, but like a lily covered in gold or silver, it becomes heavier and less flexible.

Refinement is the antidote.

Refinement is where Product Owners bring the problem, and Developers bring the possibilities. It’s where questions turn into clarity, and clarity turns into shared understanding. It’s also where better solutions often emerge — solutions the Product Owner may never have imagined.

If we dictate too much up front, we rob Developers of the chance to improve the idea. We also rob ourselves of the opportunity to get a better outcome.

So don’t gild the lily. State what you want. Explain why it matters. And then create space for the Developers to help shape how it gets done.

Because when Product Owners provide direction and Developers provide creativity, the result isn’t gold on a lily — it’s a better product altogether.

Rebel Scrum is the host of the annual Scrum Day Madison conference.