Backlog
A prioritized list of work for the development team that is derived from the product roadmap and its requirements.
Keywords:
backlog, product backlog
Contents
Deep Dive
Metaphysical Synthesis & Analysis
The Synthesis
The backlog is the prioritized list of work to be done. In Scrum, it's the product backlog; in Kanban, it's the queue. For PMs, backlog management is the art of saying no: every item added dilutes focus. The best backlogs are ruthlessly prioritized, regularly groomed, and outcome-oriented rather than feature-oriented. Jeff Patton's *User Story Mapping* provides a framework for organizing backlogs around user journeys.
Metaphysical Foundation
A backlog is the materialization of strategy into actionable work. It is the queue of hypotheses waiting to be tested.
Evolutionary Path
From waterfall requirements docs to agile user stories to continuous flow, backlogs have become more dynamic and less comprehensive.
Strategic Interplays
Backlogs are populated by Prioritization and executed through Agile processes. They translate Roadmap into Engineering work.
Key Episodes
Marty Cagan
Product management theater | Marty Cagan (Silicon Valley Product Group)
Mihika Kapoor
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Ronny Kohavi
The ultimate guide to A/B testing | Ronny Kohavi (Airbnb, Microsoft, Amazon)
Krithika Shankarraman
Growth tactics from OpenAI and Stripe’s first marketer | Krithika Shankarraman
Geoff Charles
Velocity over everything: How Ramp became the fastest-growing SaaS startup ever ...
Teresa Torres
Build better products with continuous product discovery | Teresa Torres
Jeff Weinstein
Building product at Stripe: craft, metrics, and customer obsession | Jeff Weinst...
David Singleton
Building a culture of excellence | David Singleton (CTO of Stripe)
Nan Yu
Linear’s secret to building beloved B2B products | Nan Yu (Head of Product)
Melissa Perri
Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about SAFe and the product owner role | Me...
Jackson Shuttleworth
Behind the product: Duolingo streaks | Jackson Shuttleworth (Group PM, Retention...
Matt MacInnis
"I deliberately understaff every project" | Leadership lessons from Rippling's $...
Kevin Yien
Unorthodox PM tips: Automating user insights, unselling candidates, decision log...
Cam Adams
Inside Canva: Coaches not managers, giving away your Legos, and embracing AI | C...
Anuj Rathi
The full-stack PM | Anuj Rathi (Swiggy, Jupiter Money, Flipkart)
Farhan Thawar
How Shopify builds a high-intensity culture | Farhan Thawar (VP and Head of Eng)
Jason Droege
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Evan LaPointe
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Itamar Gilad
Becoming evidence-guided | Itamar Gilad (Gmail, YouTube, Microsoft)
Varun Parmar