Understanding Your Project Backlog
The project backlog is the living list of everything that needs to be built, fixed, or decided in your project. Understanding how it works helps you influence priorities and track progress effectively.
What Is in the Backlog?
The backlog contains:
- User stories: Features or functionality described from a user's perspective ("As a [user], I want to [do something] so that [benefit]")
- Technical tasks: Infrastructure setup, refactoring, performance improvements
- Bugs: Defects found during development or testing
- Spike tasks: Research or investigation tasks to resolve unknowns
How Backlog Items Are Prioritised
Backlog items are ordered by priority — the most valuable, most urgent, or most de-risking work sits at the top. Priority is typically determined by:
- Business value to you
- Dependencies (some things must be done before others)
- Risk (addressing uncertainty early)
- Effort (balancing large and small items)
Your Role in Backlog Management
You own the business priority. While Progressive Robot manages the technical aspects, you decide which features matter most to your users and business. Your Project Manager will facilitate regular backlog grooming sessions — ideally once per sprint — where you can reprioritise, add new items, or remove things that are no longer needed.
Viewing the Backlog
Your project backlog is visible in the portal under your project. You can see all items, their status, and their estimated effort. Contact your Project Manager if anything looks incorrect or out of date.