5 Tips for Better Backlog Management

A well-maintained backlog is essential for agile teams. Here are five tips to keep your backlog healthy and your team productive.

1. Regular Grooming Sessions

Schedule weekly or bi-weekly backlog grooming sessions. During these sessions:

Review and update existing items

Remove outdated or irrelevant tickets

Add details to upcoming work

Adjust priorities based on new information

2. Use Clear Ticket Descriptions

Every ticket should include:

A clear title that summarizes the work

Acceptance criteria defining "done"

Any relevant context or background

Links to related documentation

3. Prioritize Ruthlessly

Not everything can be high priority. Use a consistent prioritization framework:

Must have (critical for the product)

Should have (important but not critical)

Could have (nice to have)

Won't have (out of scope)

4. Keep It Manageable

A backlog with hundreds of items is overwhelming. Aim to keep your active backlog to a manageable size (50-100 items). Archive or delete old items that are no longer relevant.

5. Use Labels and Filters

Organize your backlog with:

Type labels (bug, feature, improvement)

Team or component labels

Priority indicators

Sprint or milestone assignments

Kanbanboard.nl provides powerful filtering tools to help you manage even large backlogs efficiently.

Start improving your backlog management today!