Backlog Management

Backlog Management

Conventions and patterns for managing the Spec2Ship project backlog.

Backlog Location

The backlog is stored in .s2s/BACKLOG.md as a single markdown file optimized for LLM consumption.

ID Conventions

Prefix	Category	Use for
ARCH	Architecture	Major structural decisions
EXT	Extensions	Customization, plugins
QUAL	Quality	Validation, testing quality
TEST	Testing	Test infrastructure
INIT	Initialization	Setup, onboarding
SESS	Sessions	Session management
RT	Roundtable	Discussion features
CTX	Context	Token optimization
OUT	Output	Export, formatting
DEBT	Technical debt	Code quality issues
CLEAN	Cleanup	Refactoring, removal
LINK	Linking	Cross-references
MISC	Miscellaneous	Other

Format: {PREFIX}-{NNN} (e.g., ARCH-001, DEBT-002)

Status Values

Status	Meaning
draft	Initial idea, needs refinement
planned	Refined, ready for implementation
in_progress	Currently being worked on
blocked	Waiting on dependency
completed	Done and verified
rejected	Not doing, with reason
merged	Absorbed into another item

Item Structure

### {ID}: {Title}

**Status**: {status} | **Created**: {date}

**Context**: Why this is needed.

**Proposal**: What to do (for draft/planned).

**Acceptance Criteria**:
- [ ] Criterion 1
- [ ] Criterion 2

Priority Sections

Items are organized by priority in the backlog:

1. High Priority - Current focus, blocking issues
2. Medium Priority - Important but not urgent
3. Low Priority - Nice to have, future work
4. Ideas / Notes - Unstructured, for capture
5. Completed - Done items (table format)
6. Rejected - Not doing (table format)

Operations

Adding an Item

1. Choose appropriate prefix based on category
2. Get next available number for that prefix
3. Add to appropriate priority section
4. Set status to draft

Updating Status

Edit the Status field inline. Add Updated date if significant changes.

Completing an Item

1. Move to Completed table
2. Add completion date and notes
3. Remove from priority section

Merging Items

1. Update absorbed item status to merged
2. Add note: "Merged into {ID}"
3. Update target item to reference merged items