2025-04-28 What's a Backlog anyway? =================================== It is unfortunate that there appear to be at least two common definitions of the term “backlog” in software development, and they conflict. One definition is usually relatively specific and involves a carefully curated, prioritised, set of work items - e.g. the Scrum Guide defines a Product Backlog as “an emergent, ordered list”, “the single source of work undertaken”, etc. The other definition is that it’s A Bunch Of Stuff, more defined by its lack of definition - usually somewhat chaotic, often a bit of a dumping ground, and generally different (though not completely disconnected) from “the list of what we plan to do next”. You can see how this can get confusing if it’s not clear which you mean? While I’m wary of leaning too hard on dictionary definitions, `the Cambridge Dictionary defines “backlog” as “a large number of things that you should have done before and must do now” `__ in a way that really feels like it vibes with the second, far less specific, usage - and I feel like if you’re going to try to create a new term with precise meaning, it helps to not use a word that implies a lack of precision. Anyway I have repeatedly learned the hard way to check exactly what people mean when they say “backlog”. As a fan of the fuzzier definition (:doc:`I’m into lowercase-a agile <2020-06-20-capital-letters-considered-harmful>`), I do find it can be useful to have a bit more structure though. Here’s a set of categories I often use, inspired by something I read from `Kath Keating `__ a while back: - Inbox: The landing place for new items of work - tickets, bugs, ideas, etc. - triage it periodically, try to keep it empty - Ready / TODO: The curated, prioritised, set of things you plan to do next - Icebox: The place for things you’ve decided you *won’t* do - you might change your mind one day though! - Backlog: The place for things you *do* want to do *someday*, with no specific plan of when - Planning: The place for things you’re fleshing out a bit more So -- I don’t actually have strong feelings about any one definition of “backlog”, I just hate wasting time because folks are talking past each other because they’re using the same words to mean different things. Be wary of that when you use the term!