Scrum backlog template

For Agile teams, defining user stories helps team members understand what they are building and why. User stories state what the feature provides from the user’s perspective. For example, a payroll clerk must be able to schedule automatic, direct deposits to employee bank accounts on a specific day of the month.

Grouping user stories into end-user functionality can help teams identify key tasks and create milestones. These landmarks align with overall project goals, such as payroll transfer scheduling. They include all tasks and user stories within that goal. Identifying milestones helps teams define the requirements for the goal.

Some user stories may have a higher priority for the user and the business. Others may simply be nice to have. Prioritizing user stories focuses teams on the highest-value tasks. Achieve this through project collaboration. Different team members bring unique perspectives on complexities or hidden dependencies. Priorities can change, and the team should continuously refine the backlog to reflect that.

Understanding user stories helps identify all the tasks teams must complete to achieve the overall goal. Breaking down stories into smaller, manageable tasks allows teams to see gaps, missing requirements, and roadblocks. This improves timeline estimation.

After breaking the stories into required tasks, review the tasks for complexity. For an accurate time estimation, review the task and its requirements again.

Agile teams often use estimation techniques like story points, where all team members weigh in on the work based on their experience. Another approach is employing time-based estimates, where the team identifies the completion date and then works backward to estimate the tasks. This approach can be a good exercise for agreeing on high-priority tasks and goals.

To create the sprint backlog—the work comprising the product feature or release—select the prioritized tasks from the product backlog. Assign resources based on expertise and capacity. Look for conflicts, such as an overburdened team member. 

Establish a realistic sprint goal that aligns with the project objectives. The foundation for the goal comes from work the team has already done in prioritizing user stories and estimating tasks.

Conducting regular backlog refinement and sprint reviews throughout the project life cycle helps teams adjust to changing priorities or new requirements. The backlog will change with additional feedback and new insights. 

Highly collaborative environments empower team members to raise issues and offer suggestions. Valued input makes changes to the goals and the backlog more easily understood and accepted.