Product Backlog: Ordered by Value, Stories Describing User Need
Highest value first; the backlog is not a random task list.
- Backlog — Everything the product needs
- Prioritization — Highest value first
- Ready stories — Refined with acceptance criteria
The product backlog is a prioritized list of everything the product needs, owned by the product owner and continually updated. Its items are often written as user stories: a brief format describing a user need and its value from their perspective. The highest value is ordered first to be done first. Each story has acceptance criteria defining when it is done. The backlog is alive, reordered whenever priorities change or information emerges.
Freezing the backlog after creating it. The backlog is alive and continually reordered and refined.
Order the backlog by value, and define when a story is done.
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The backlog is the heart of agile work: a single prioritized list gathering everything the product might need in features, fixes, and improvements. It is owned by the product owner, accountable for ordering it so the highest value comes first, and for continually refining it with the team to clarify near-term items and size them. Items are often written as user stories in a format focused on the beneficiary, their need, and its value to them, rather than a rigid technical spec. Each story has acceptance criteria that clearly define when it is complete, reducing ambiguity and dispute. Because the backlog is alive, it is continually reordered and updated as priorities change and new learning emerges, which is what distinguishes agility from rigid planning.
Frequently asked questions
What is the product backlog?
A prioritized list of everything the product needs, owned by the product owner.
What is a user story?
A brief format describing a user need and its value from their view, not a technical spec.
Who orders the backlog?
The product owner, so the highest value comes first.
What are acceptance criteria?
Conditions that clearly define when a story is done.
Is the backlog fixed?
No; it is alive, reordered and refined whenever priorities change.