This specialized to-do list keeps developers focused (2023)

A product backlog is an ordered list of tasks, features, or items that need to be completed as part of a larger roadmap.

Product creation starts with an idea and it takes a dedicated team to create something special. Yes, even the iPhone was once just a prototype that rose to mainstream popularity thanks to the right equipment. When managing amixed timeFor developers, staying organized is crucial to product success.

So how can development teams stay organized and achieve their goals? With tested and provento-do lists. A product backlog is essentially a list of specialized tasks. It's an ordered list of tasks, features, or items that need to be completed as part of a larger product roadmap. If your team uses Agile methodology, a product backlog can help you break down projects and initiatives to determine which tasks are most important.

Read on to find out what a portfolio includes and how to create one for your team.

What is a product stack?

A product backlog is a prioritized list of work items or features that help you achieve product goals and set expectations across teams. In general, each product under development should have a dedicated product portfolio. Likewise, each product portfolio must have a dedicated project team.

Occasionally there are multiple backlogs with multiple teams working on a larger product. For example, let's take a look at the Adobe Creative Cloud package. Creative Cloud is a general product, with smaller products like Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects housed within it. Each of these smaller products would have its own product portfolio and designated development teams.

You create a backlog of products fromproduct roadmap, which explains the action plan for product evolution. Developers use tasks in the backlog to get the desired results as quickly as possible.

Create a Product Portfolio Template

Who Uses the Product Backlog

While any developer can use a product backlog, agile teams use them more often. In agile projects, teams spend their time creating deliverables and making adjustments as the project progresses. Due to the flexibility ofagile methodology, tasks in the product backlog are not set in stone, and you are not expected to complete each one. In addition, agile teams will regularly go through product backlog refinement to re-prioritize tasks as needed.

What's in a product portfolio?

A product backlog often includes features, bug fixes, technical debt, and knowledge acquisition. These product backlog items are distinct pieces of work that have yet to be delivered for a product.

1. Resources (User Stories)

A function, also known asuser history, is a product feature that the product user finds valuable. Resources can be complex, often referred to asepics- or they can be simple. Creating a story map can help your team determine what the user needs most.

2. Bug fixes

Bug fixes are self-explanatory and must be addressed quickly by your Scrum Team to maintain product integrity. Some bugs might be significant enough to halt your team's current sprint, while others might wait for the next sprint. However, a general rule of thumb with bugs is to keep them at the top of the product backlog so your team doesn't forget about them.

3. Technical debts

technical debt, like financial debt, “earns interest” when ignored. When developers push technical work to the end of the product backlog, it swells and becomes harder to achieve. Effective backlog management can prevent the accumulation of technical debt. When your team stays organized and takes on technical work in smaller daily increments, you're less likely to attract interest in big work.

4. Acquisition of knowledge

In knowledge acquisition, you gather information to accomplish future tasks. Essentially, this is a research step. When you identify a feature that needs further investigation, you create a knowledge acquisition task, such as a prototype, experiment, orconcept proofto get the information you need to work on the feature.

4 steps to create a product portfolio

A product backlog is more than just a to-do list: it's where complex tasks are broken down into a series of steps anddelegatefor team members. Follow these four steps to develop an effective product backlog.

Create a Product Portfolio Template

1. Create a product roadmap

The product roadmap is the foundation for the product backlog. First, your team must create a roadmap, which will serve asaction planhow your product will change as it develops. The roadmap is the vision for long-term product development, but it can also evolve.

2. List the product portfolio items

With the product roadmap in mind, your team can start listing the product backlog items. These items should include high priority items and more abstract ideas. During this product backlog creation phase, you will also need to communicate withrelated partiesand listen to your ideas to improve the products. If you are using the Agile method, you can organize this conversation as part of yoursprint planningreunion.

3. Prioritize your backlog

Once your team has listed all the items in the product backlog, rank them andprioritize your most important tasks. You can identify the highest priority items by putting the customer first and considering which items provide the most value to you.

4. Update regularly

As your team works on the product backlog, remember that it's a living document. You can continually add items to the backlog and prioritize or refine them as you work.

How to Prioritize Product Backlog Items

An essential component of managing the product backlog is prioritizing tasks. like himScrum Master, you must have a thorough understanding of the new features that stakeholders want to see in the product. Here are some strategies on how to prioritize your to-do list items.

Refine backlog items

Before you can prioritize, you must first define your issues. Add details such as description, size, and associated goals or metrics.

Organize tasks by urgency and importance.

By focusing onorder backlog refinement, try to organize tasks by urgency and importance. The team should prioritize the product portfolio items that improve the product's functionality as well as the user experience.

Tackle complex tasks first

Your team may be inclined to complete simple tasks first to remove them from the backlog and shorten the list, but this is a less efficient way toproject management. The product backlog will continue to grow, so tackling complex tasks first is often more effective.

Complete tasks in focused time sprints

Agile teams work in focused sprints to get work done, and this method is highly effective for productivity. At the end of each sprint, theproduct ownerand any stakeholder can participate in a sprint review with you and the development team to make sure everything is on track.

Communicate with your team

Communication between team members.it is a crucial part of prioritizing the product portfolio. To successfully request the backlog and complete the items in a reasonable amount of time, you and your team must work together and follow the Scrum guidelines.

Product accumulation example

The product backlog looks different between projects, but some start with an epic. Aepicit's a general problem you're trying to solve for a customer. Here is an example below:

Epic:As a marketing manager, I want a content management system that allows me to deliver quality content to my readers.

This epic can help you work on user stories, such as how a user creates content in their new system or how they edit and share content with their teams. To continue our product backlog example, we can break the epic down into more specific user stories.

Story 1:As a content creator, I want a content management system that allows me to create content so I can let customers know about our products.

Story 2:As a publisher, I want a content management system that allows me to review content before I publish it to make sure it's well-written and optimized for search.

The Product Owner, Scrum Master and Development Team will determine which features the product should include based on user stories and prioritize them based on importance.

Features the product must include for Story 1:

1. Log in to the content management system

2. create content

3. Edit a content page

4. save changes

5. Assign content to editor for review

As a product manager, you'll use epics to guide your product roadmap and backlog items. As you can see from this example, one epic can lead to multiple user stories and product features.

What are the benefits of a product backlog?

A product backlog helps your team run like a well-oiled machine, improving organization andcollaboration. It becomes the central communication tool and keeps everyone aligned on goals and expectations.

Since all work on a product flows through the backlog, the product backlog provides a basis foriteration planning. As your team prioritizes tasks with the Product Owner's guidance, they also determine how much work they can accomplish in a specific time frame. These blocks of time are called iterations or sprints.

The product backlog also promotes the development of agile teams, promoting a flexible and productive work environment. Product backlog tasks are not set in stone, and the team ranks them in order of importance before choosing which tasks to tackle first.

Sprint stack vs. Product backlog

Sprint backlogs and product backlogs are very similar in terms of their components. Sprint Backlogs are a subset of the Product Backlog, but are used specifically during sprints.

Here's another way to see the difference:

Product backlog:

• Owner: Product owner

• Data final: no course

• Meta:Use the overall product goal to prioritize tasks

• Flexibility:Very flexible, based on customer needs

Running stack:

• Owner:Development team

• Data final:When the sprint ends

• Meta:short term goaldeveloped duringsprint planning

• Flexibility:Less flexible when the sprint starts

Track your progress with a product portfolio

Getting a product across the finish line is easier when you have a well-organized product portfolio. Asana can help you manage Agile projects as efficiently as possible with modern Scrum software.

Create a Product Portfolio Template