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📥 Phase 1: Backlog Intake & Management

How new items enter the product backlog and initial prioritization

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Overview

The Product Backlog is the single source of truth for all work to be done. The Product Owner manages the backlog with input from Business Stakeholders, ensuring items are properly captured, prioritized, and refined.

Tool: Product Backlog is maintained in Index by the Product Owner.
Business Request
→
PO Review
→
Initial Triage
→
Product Backlog

Backlog Intake Sources

Required Information for New Items

Field Description Required?
Title Clear, concise description of the request Yes
Business Justification Why is this needed? What problem does it solve? Yes
Expected Outcomes What success looks like, measurable if possible Yes
Priority Rationale Why this priority level was suggested Yes
Affected Clients Which clients or user segments are impacted Recommended
Deadline/Dependencies Any time constraints or dependencies If applicable

Initial Triage Process

Frequency: Weekly (or more often for urgent items)

Owner: Product Owner

Triage Steps

  1. Review new submissions - PO reviews all new items submitted during the week
  2. Validate completeness - Ensure all required information is provided
  3. Initial priority tag - Assign initial priority: Critical, High, Medium, Low
  4. Merge duplicates - Identify and consolidate duplicate requests
  5. Request clarification - Return incomplete items to requestor
  6. Add to backlog - Place items in appropriate backlog position

Priority Definitions (Initial)

Priority Definition Typical Timeline
Critical Business-critical, blocking clients, regulatory requirement Current or next sprint
High Important for business goals, significant client impact Next 2-3 sprints
Medium Nice to have, improves experience, some client requests Next quarter
Low Future consideration, minor improvements Roadmap / Icebox

Backlog Health Metrics

Metric Target Why It Matters
Items in "Ready" state 2-3 sprints worth Ensures teams always have refined work
Triage turnaround < 1 week Stakeholders get timely feedback
Stale items (no update > 3 months) < 10% Backlog stays relevant and manageable
Duplicate rate < 5% Effective consolidation

Next Phase

Once items are in the backlog with initial priority, they move to Backlog Refinement where the Product Owner works with Stakeholders to clarify requirements and prepare items for design.