Backlog Management

A backlog is an ordered set of potential work, not a storage bin for every idea. Refinement clarifies outcomes, acceptance criteria, dependencies, size, and readiness. Priority and rank answer different questions: urgency category versus delivery order.

Illustrated training screen. Jira labels and controls can differ between Cloud, Data Center, company-managed, and team-managed projects.

Step-by-step

1. Remove duplicates, obsolete requests, and items without a responsible stakeholder.
2. Clarify the user/problem, outcome, acceptance criteria, and dependencies.
3. Split work too large or uncertain for one planning horizon.
4. Estimate with the team's agreed method after sufficient understanding.
5. Rank the highest-value ready work and revisit it continuously.

Worked example

Example: split “Improve checkout” by user outcome—guest checkout, saved address, payment retry—rather than by technical layer alone. Add a Definition of Ready only if it supports conversation rather than becoming bureaucracy.

Practice task

Recreate the example in a sandbox project, record what you changed, and explain which team decision the configuration supports. Never experiment with production permissions, workflows, or automation without an approved change plan.