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Product backlog
A product backlog is an ordered list of everything a team might work on for a product, from features and user stories to fixes and improvements. It is the single, prioritized source of upcoming work, kept in rough priority order so the team always knows what matters most and what to pick up next.
What it means
The backlog is the product's to-do list, but a living one. It is never really finished. Items get added, reordered, refined, and dropped as priorities shift and the team learns more. The items near the top are usually well understood and ready to build, while items further down can stay rough until they rise in priority, an idea often called progressive refinement.
In Azure DevOps, the product backlog is built from work items like user stories or product backlog items, organized under features and epics. It is where requirements meet planning: a captured requirement becomes a backlog item, gets prioritized against everything else, and is traced through to the work that delivers it. A backlog that is not maintained quickly stops reflecting what the team should actually do.
In practice
During refinement, a team reviews its product backlog, splits a large story near the top into two smaller ones, moves a low-value item to the bottom, and adds acceptance criteria to the stories heading into the next sprint. The backlog stays honest about priority, so sprint planning starts from a clear picture.
FAQ
What is the difference between a product backlog and a sprint backlog?
Who manages the product backlog?
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Modern Requirements brings documentation, traceability, and reviews together inside Azure DevOps.
