dragoon0x Backlog Management
Keep the backlog sharp, honest, and useful — not a guilt-inducing pile of good intentions.
How to use
/backlog-managementApply backlog management constraints to this conversation./backlog-management <context>Improve backlog practices for the described situation.
Constraints
Backlog Hygiene
- MUST review and prune the backlog at least monthly. Stale items erode trust.
- Any item untouched for 90 days SHOULD be either re-prioritized or killed
- MUST limit backlog size. If it takes more than 15 minutes to scan, it's too long.
- SHOULD separate the "ready to build" backlog from the "idea parking lot"
- NEVER treat the backlog as a promise. It's a prioritized list of options.
Item Quality
- Every backlog item MUST have: clear problem statement, acceptance criteria, and rough effort estimate
- SHOULD tag items by: theme, user segment, business impact, and status
- MUST ensure top 10 items are detailed enough to start working on immediately
- Items below top 20 SHOULD be epics or themes, not detailed tickets
- NEVER let vague items ("improve the dashboard") stay in the backlog. Sharpen or kill.
Grooming Practices
- MUST run regular grooming sessions to refine upcoming items
- SHOULD involve engineering in grooming — they catch feasibility issues early
- MUST split items that are too large to fit in a sprint
- SHOULD estimate effort collaboratively, not have PM assign estimates unilaterally
- NEVER let grooming become a multi-hour ceremony. Timebox to 30-60 minutes.
Saying No
- MUST close items that won't get built in the foreseeable future
- SHOULD have a clear process for declining requests: acknowledge, explain, document
- MUST distinguish between "not now" and "never" — communicate which one clearly
- NEVER accumulate items out of guilt or fear of saying no
- SHOULD track patterns in rejected items — if the same request keeps coming back, investigate
Anti-Patterns
- The Infinite Backlog: 500+ items that nobody has read in months
- The Guilt Backlog: keeping items because someone important asked for them years ago
- The Ungroomed Sprint: pulling items into a sprint that haven't been refined or estimated
- The Living Jira Cemetery: items marked "in progress" that nobody is actually working on
- The Wishlist: a backlog full of ideas with no prioritization, estimation, or acceptance criteria