Now, backlogs are extremely important in Agile project management<\/a>, especially in the Scrum framework<\/a>. There, work is done in shorter increments called Sprints \u2014 so it\u2019s necessary to know exactly what needs to be done ahead of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Usually, Agile teams plan their work based on 2 types of Backlogs \u2014 the Product Backlog and the Sprint Backlog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s take a look at what they are, what makes them different, and how to use them together in your project.<\/p>\n\n\n The Product Backlog is an organized list of all the work that needs to be completed on a product. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The one responsible for creating and maintaining the Product Backlog items is the Product Owner<\/a>. Once they create the Product Backlog, they share it with the relevant project stakeholders<\/a> \u2014 most importantly the Scrum Team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No matter how big the project is, there is only one<\/strong> Product Backlog, and it encompasses the entire project scope<\/a>. So, just by looking at it, you can see all the work that still needs to be done \u2014 as terrifying as that sounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Product Backlog<\/a> consists of all the upcoming product work, including: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you create the Backlog, you should organize it by priority. However, aim to keep this list \u2014 and the Backlog as a whole \u2014 flexible throughout the project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Any change in the project environment<\/a> can affect your Backlog. An example of that would be a user base that wishes for a \u201csave\u201d feature in every photo-sharing app (Thanks, Pinterest<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Take control of your team's workload and achieve better project results with Plaky by CAKE.com.<\/p>\n To reiterate, a Product Backlog should contain a prioritized list of everything that goes into the project. So what would that look like?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s say you\u2019re actually making a photo-sharing app. This is what some of the Backlog items would look like: <\/p>\n\n\n\n High priority<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Medium priority<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Low priority<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, these are just some of the items that a Product Backlog would have, but hopefully, it gives you an idea of what it should look like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember, though, that a well-organized Product Backlog should contain no more than 100 to 150 items. Any more, and you\u2019re probably due for a refinement.<\/p>\n\n\n The Product Backlog changes over time to accurately reflect shifting priorities and should always be accessible to everyone on the team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For this reason, the most optimal place to keep your Product Backlog is a collaborative project management tool<\/a> where you can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, keep in mind that not all Backlog items should be described in detail. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since the Product Backlog is bound to change throughout the project, trying to define every single item would only be a waste of time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, focus on defining high-priority items \u2014 define why you are implementing them, what they should look like, and how they should function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Backlog refinement is the process of reviewing the Product Backlog in order to update, reprioritize, or remove items from the backlog.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Because the Backlog is flexible, you\u2019ll constantly update it. That\u2019s why you need to keep refining the Backlog on a regular basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This usually happens at a meeting \u2014 with the Product Owner and any other key individuals, e.g., important stakeholders or team members who\u2019ll be responsible for the tasks discussed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During refinement, you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 PLAKY PRO TIP<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to know more about Product Backlog refinement, check out our comprehensive guide:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Sprint Backlog takes items from the Product Backlog for the team to tend to in the following Sprint.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A Sprint<\/a> is a short period during which the team is focused on completing tasks inside the Sprint Backlog. <\/p>\n\n\n\n During Sprints, the Product Backlog items are turned from ideas into actionable items in the Sprint Backlog. They are refined, broken down, and made clear \u2014 so that they\u2019re \u201cready for work\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sprints usually last anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Developers are the ones managing the Sprint Backlog during the Sprint planning meeting. There, they decide which items will be developed during a specific Sprint. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Most importantly, the development team needs to be sure they can complete these items during the Sprint and according to the Sprint Goal. The resulting Sprint Backlog consists of user stories and task descriptions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s easy to think that, because it\u2019s refined, a Sprint Backlog can\u2019t change. However, this isn\u2019t exactly true. <\/p>\n\n\n\n An effective Sprint Backlog is flexible, as long as it does not distract the team from focusing on the Sprint Goal \u2014 which cannot be changed during the Sprint. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n Take control of your team's workload and achieve better project results with Plaky by CAKE.com.<\/p>\n As you\u2019ve surely guessed, the Sprint Backlog needs to be accessible to all team members at all times. So once again, you\u2019re best off using a PM tool that supports this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, we can take the items we\u2019ve outlined in the Product Backlog example and expand upon them for this example. However, instead of grouping by priority, we can turn the items themselves into groups of tasks as we define them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So let\u2019s take 3 items from our Product Backlog and transform them for the Sprint Backlog: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pro tip<\/strong>: if your Sprint has plenty of work planned, and you don\u2019t want to clutter your Backlog with a bajillion item groups, you can always create subtasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This way, you can break down your tasks into even smaller ones and keep them in the same groups as others. That is especially useful if you still want to use item groups to sort your tasks by priority, team member, or any other parameter.<\/p>\n\n\n In short \u2014 the Product Backlog contains vague ideas of the work that needs to be done throughout the whole project. To compare, the Sprint Backlog contains specific descriptions of the Backlog items that must be finished in the following Sprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, we can expand on their differences in more detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Sprint](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Sprint-backlog-vs-product-backlog-cover-2.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhat is a Product Backlog? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Plaky](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-blog\/theme\/images\/banners\/default@2x.png)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n \n\n\n\nProduct Backlog example<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Example](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Organizing-a-Product-Backlog-in-Plaky.png\")
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Refining the Product Backlog<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Refined](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Backlog-refinement-in-Plaky-1.png\")
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What is a Sprint Backlog?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n \n\n\n\nSprint Backlog example<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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![\"Example](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Organizing-a-Spring-Backlog-in-Plaky.png\")
![\"Nesting](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Using-subitems-in-Plaky-1024x582.png\")
What\u2019s the difference between the Product Backlog and the Sprint Backlog?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"How](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Product-Backlog-vs-Spring-Backlog.png\")
![\"Gantt](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Using-the-Gantt-view-in-Plaky.png\")
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