HKSM
Backlog
A prioritized and continually updated list of product work items (features, fixes, enhancements, research, and technical work) that represents the single source of potential future work. Items at the top are most valuable and better refined, enabling the team to pull them into near-term plans.
Key Points
- Owned and ordered by the product owner; transparent to the team and stakeholders.
- Includes functional, nonfunctional, and technical items; each should have clear acceptance criteria when ready.
- Continuously refined: split large items, clarify details, and adjust priority based on value, risk, and feedback.
- Guides planning by providing ready, high-priority items, but is not a fixed commitment until work is selected.
Example
A product team building a mobile banking app maintains a backlog with items like "Enable biometric login," "Improve funds transfer speed," and "Address security vulnerability XYZ." The product owner orders these by value and risk. Before the next sprint, the team refines the top items and then pulls the most valuable, ready items into the sprint plan.
PMP Example Question
Which statement best describes the backlog in an agile product development effort?
- A fixed list of requirements approved in the project charter.
- An ordered, evolving queue of product work items maintained by the product owner.
- A daily task list created by the Scrum Master for the team.
- The set of tasks each developer plans to complete today.
Correct Answer: B — An ordered, evolving queue of product work items maintained by the product owner
Explanation: The backlog is a dynamic, prioritized list that guides what the team might build next; it is owned and ordered by the product owner, not fixed or managed as daily tasks.
