Backlog Management

Purpose

The product backlog is the single source of truth for all work. This skill governs how backlog items are shaped, estimated, prioritized, and declared sprint-ready. It bridges the discovery output of Phase 3 into a delivery-ready backlog for Phase 4. A well-managed backlog reduces sprint planning friction, prevents scope creep, and maintains alignment between the Product Owner and the delivery team.

When to Use

• Discovery outputs (user research, problem statements, feature maps) need to be converted into backlog items
• Existing backlog items lack acceptance criteria or are too coarse for sprint planning
• Backlog needs re-prioritization after a gate review or stakeholder change
• Refinement session needs structure and facilitation prompts
• Sprint planning is blocked because the top of the backlog is not sprint-ready
• Backlog health metrics (coverage, staleness, readiness ratio) need assessment

Instructions

Step 1: Load Backlog Context

Review existing backlog items and their current status. Load references/artefact-catalog.md to understand mandatory backlog artefacts for the current phase. If transitioning from Phase 3, check that discovery output artefacts are available as input.

Step 2: Create Backlog Items from Discovery Output

For each feature or capability identified in Phase 3:

• Use templates/phase-3/sprint-backlog.md.template to structure each item
• Set: id, title, epic (parent feature), user_story (As a / I want / So that), business_value, priority
• Tag with phase origin and source artefact reference
• Link to any related assumption or risk entries

Step 3: Write Acceptance Criteria

For each backlog item, define acceptance criteria using the format in templates/phase-3/acceptance-criteria.md.template:

• Each criterion must be independently verifiable
• Use Given/When/Then where behaviour is involved
• Include non-functional requirements as separate criteria (performance, security, accessibility)
• Cross-check against the Definition of Done (skills/definition-of-done/SKILL.md)

Step 4: Estimate and Size Items

With the delivery team during refinement:

• Estimate items in story points or t-shirt sizes (team decides the unit at Phase 3/4 boundary)
• Break down any item larger than the team's maximum sprint capacity
• Flag items with high estimation uncertainty — these need a spike or proof of concept first
• Record estimation assumptions in the item

Step 5: Prioritize the Backlog

The Product Owner orders the backlog based on:

• Business value and strategic alignment
• Dependency ordering (prerequisites first)
• Risk reduction (high-risk items early to validate assumptions)
• Stakeholder agreements from gate reviews

Apply MoSCoW or weighted shortest job first (WSJF) as the team's chosen prioritization method. Document the method chosen and rationale for top-of-backlog ordering.

Step 6: Apply Readiness Criteria

Before an item enters sprint planning, it must be sprint-ready:

• User story is written and understood by the team
• Acceptance criteria are defined and agreed
• Item is estimated
• Dependencies are identified and either resolved or sequenced
• Design artefacts (if needed) are available and linked

Items that do not meet readiness criteria stay in refinement — they do not enter the sprint backlog.

Step 7: Maintain Backlog Health

At the end of each sprint and before each gate review, assess backlog health:

• Readiness ratio: percentage of top-N items that are sprint-ready (target: ≥ 80% of next 2 sprints)
• Staleness: items not updated in more than 2 sprints need review or removal
• Coverage: backlog coverage of committed phase scope (are all planned features represented?)
• Report health status in the evidence index

Key Principles

1. The backlog is owned by the Product Owner — ordering decisions are the PO's responsibility; the team influences but does not override.
2. Sprint-ready is a quality gate — not a checklist; an item is ready when the team can build it without needing more information.
3. Backlog size has diminishing returns — items more than 3 sprints away should be kept coarse; refine just-in-time.
4. Discovery does not end at Phase 3 — the backlog evolves with each sprint review; new insights must flow back.
5. Backlog health is a delivery risk — low readiness ratio is an early warning sign for sprint planning failure.

Reference Materials

• templates/phase-3/sprint-backlog.md.template — Sprint backlog and backlog item structure
• templates/phase-3/acceptance-criteria.md.template — Acceptance criteria patterns
• references/artefact-catalog.md — Mandatory backlog artefacts by phase
• Schema: schemas/sprint-contract.schema.json

Quality Checks

• Every backlog item in the top 2 sprints has a written user story and acceptance criteria
• No item enters sprint planning without an estimate
• Backlog is ordered with explicit rationale for the top 10 items
• Items flagged as high-uncertainty have a corresponding spike or proof-of-concept entry
• Readiness ratio is tracked and visible to the team
• Backlog health reviewed at each sprint review and phase gate