What goes in a Product Backlog?

Features, bug fixes, technical improvements, infrastructure work, research spikes, compliance requirements — anything that, if done, would improve the product or the team's ability to deliver. Not every request becomes a backlog item; the Product Owner decides what's worth including.

How is the Product Backlog ordered?

By value — but value is multidimensional. The Product Owner considers user impact, business priority, technical dependencies, and risk. Higher-value, higher-priority items sit at the top. 'Ordered' is more precise than 'prioritized' because the relationship between items matters, not just their individual ranks.

What is Product Backlog refinement?

Refinement (formerly 'grooming') is the ongoing process of reviewing, updating, and breaking down backlog items so they're ready for Sprint Planning. The Scrum Team spends roughly 10% of sprint time on refinement. It's not a formal Scrum event but a continuous activity.

Who can add items to the Product Backlog?

Anyone can suggest items, but only the Product Owner decides what goes in and how items are ordered. Developers can add technical items; stakeholders can submit requests. The PO is the gatekeeper.

Scrum Artifacts7 min read

What is a Product Backlog?

Q: What is a Product Backlog?

The Product Backlog is an ordered, emergent list of everything needed to improve the product. It's owned and managed by the Product Owner. Items at the top are more refined and ready for development; items further down can be vague. It's never complete — it evolves as the product and market change.

A Product Backlog is not a wish list, and it's not a requirements document. It's a living, ordered inventory of everything that could make your product better — maintained with intention, not accumulated by default. The difference between a well-managed backlog and a dumping ground is discipline, not tools.

Product Backlog definition

The Product Backlog is an emergent, ordered list of what is needed to improve the product. It is the single source of work for the Scrum Team. The Product Owner is accountable for its content, availability, and ordering. It is never complete — as long as the product exists, the backlog exists and evolves.

What goes in the backlog?

Most teams start with features and bug fixes, but a mature backlog contains a wider range of work types. Each type has a different priority profile:

Features

User-facing functionality that delivers value directly. Often expressed as user stories.

Bug fixes

Defects in existing functionality. Priority depends on severity and user impact — not every bug is urgent.

Technical debt

Code improvements that don't change user-facing behavior but improve maintainability, performance, or security. Invisible to users, critical for speed.

Research spikes

Time-boxed investigations to reduce uncertainty about a feature or technology before committing to build it.

Infrastructure work

Upgrades, migrations, compliance changes. Often deprioritized until they become critical — which is the wrong time.

Signs of a poorly managed backlog

✕Items that haven't been touched in over 6 months and no one knows if they're still relevant

✕Backlog items that are too large to estimate or fit in a sprint ("Redesign the checkout flow")

✕Duplicate items that have been entered by different stakeholders at different times

✕No ordering logic — everything is 'high priority'

✕Items without descriptions — just titles that only one person understands

Frequently asked questions

Is the Product Backlog the same as a sprint backlog?

No. The Product Backlog contains everything that could improve the product — it's maintained by the Product Owner and spans the product's entire lifetime. The Sprint Backlog is a subset selected for one sprint, created and owned by the Developers.

Should every backlog item be a user story?

No. User stories are a common format for feature requests, but technical debt items, spikes, and infrastructure work don't fit the user story template well. Use the format that best captures the intent of each item.

Structure your backlog with AI

Product Backlog Architect turns rough ideas into structured, estimable backlog items.

Try Product Backlog Architect →