Suggest an editImprove this articleRefine the answer for “What is a Product Backlog?”. Your changes go to moderation before they’re published.Approval requiredContentWhat you’re changing🇺🇸EN🇺🇦UAPreviewTitle (EN)Short answer (EN)**A Product Backlog** is a single, prioritized list of everything that needs to be done for the product: features, improvements, fixes, ideas, and technical tasks. **Key point:** the main goal of the Product Backlog is to show what the team will do next and why.Shown above the full answer for quick recall.Answer (EN)Image**A Product Backlog** is **a single, prioritized list of everything that needs to be done for the product**: features, improvements, fixes, ideas, and technical tasks. It reflects the current state of the product and the direction of its development - a kind of *"evolution plan" of the system in motion*. --- ### Essence and purpose The backlog is not a static document, but a **living tool for managing priorities**. It is constantly updated as new requirements, user feedback, or technical constraints appear. The main goal of the Product Backlog is to **show what the team will do next and why.** --- ### What the product backlog includes 1. **User Stories** Short descriptions of features from the user's point of view: > "As a user, I want to receive notifications so that I don't miss important events." 2. **Functional requirements** Specific system capabilities: authorization, cart, payment, search, and so on. 3. **Non-functional requirements** Performance, security, scalability, availability. 4. **Fixes (bugs)** Errors that need to be resolved. 5. **Technical tasks** Refactoring, infrastructure setup, library updates. 6. **Ideas and hypotheses** Possible improvements that can be implemented in the future. --- ### Who manages the backlog The **Product Owner** is responsible for the Product Backlog. They: - set **priorities** - what matters now and what can wait; - **clarify and detail** items so the team understands how to implement them; - remove outdated or irrelevant items; - ensure **transparency** - everyone involved must see what is in the backlog and why. --- ### How the backlog works in practice 1. At the start of the project, the Product Owner fills the backlog with the main ideas and requirements. 2. Before each sprint, **grooming / refinement** takes place - clarifying and re-evaluating items. 3. During **Sprint Planning**, the team picks tasks from the top of the list - the most prioritized and clear ones. 4. After the sprint, the Product Owner updates the backlog: adds new ideas, changes priorities, removes what is no longer needed. --- ### Structure of a typical backlog item - **Title:** briefly describes the task. - **Description:** why it is needed and who benefits from it. - **Acceptance Criteria:** the conditions under which the task is considered done. - **Estimate (Story Points):** the complexity or amount of work. - **Priority:** how important the item is relative to others. --- ### Conclusion **The Product Backlog is the living heart of the Agile process.** It sets direction, manages priorities, and connects the product strategy with the team's day-to-day work. The top items are the most valuable and ready for development; the bottom ones are ideas and groundwork for the future.For the reviewerNote to the moderator (optional)Visible only to the moderator. Helps review go faster.