Product Backlog

The Product Backlog is one of the 3 Scrum artifacts. It is an ordered list of the known and valuable work needed to create the product. It is the single source of work for the Scrum Team building the product. Business requirements, market conditions, or technology changes may cause Product Backlog changes. Product Backlog items can be updated at any time.

The Product Owner may work to manage the Product Backlog or delegate the responsibility to others. However, the Product Owner always remains accountable for the Product Backlog.

Items in the Product Backlog are known as Product Backlog items (PBIs). Product Backlog items often have the attributes of description, order and size. Other attributes may be added. Attributes often vary with the domain of work.

The Product Backlog must be made transparent. Anyone who has an interest in the product should have access to it. This allows meaningful conversations around its order and content. This helps the Product Owner maximise the product’s value by making more informed decisions.

Many Scrum Teams use user stories to capture and document Product Backlog items. It is a common but not mandatory practice.

Effective Product Owners don’t let the Product Backlog get too long as it increases in size; more time and resources are required to manage and refine it, which will introduce waste and limit the Scrum Team’s ability to deliver value. A good practice is to keep the Product Backlog limited to items that can be developed over a known period. Ideas and other unlikely work can be removed and stored elsewhere.

There are many tools which can be used to manage a Product Backlog. The most straightforward means is Post-It notes and some wall space to stick them on. This approach has the advantage of simplicity and low cost but may not be effective for larger products or where the Scrum Team is distributed over different areas. At this point, a digital tool will be helpful.

There are many digital tools available with a variety of features and costs. At the simple end is Trello, which offers basic functionality. I use Trello to manage the Product Backlog for my training organisation, which works wonderfully for my needs. At the higher end are Atlassian Jira and Microsoft Azure DevOps. These offer enterprise-level features, including increased security and are the preferred choice of many larger organisations. Many other tools are also available. In the interests of self-management, it is preferable if a Scrum Team can select its tools.

The Product Backlog is a transparent view of the future work that the Scrum Team may carry out. It forms the basis of plans, roadmaps and other information that may help the Scrum Team and stakeholders understand what work may be carried out and when.