Managing the Project Backlog

Overview

Effectively managing your project backlog is the foundation of successful Agile development. Zymmr's backlog view provides all the tools you need to organize, prioritize, and prepare work items for upcoming sprints, ensuring a steady flow of value to your customers.

Key Functionalities

Backlog Overview

Each item in your backlog is displayed with key information, allowing for quick assessment and editing.

Field	Description	Editable in Backlog?
Type	The work item's type (e.g., Story, Bug, Task).	Read-Only
Title	The descriptive name of the work item.	Read-Only
Story Point	The estimated effort for the work item.	Yes
Project	The project the item belongs to.	Read-Only
Status	The current workflow status of the item.	Read-Only
Assignee	The team member assigned to the item.	Read-Only
Priority	The priority level of the work item.	Read-Only

The total number of items currently in the backlog is displayed next to the "Backlog" section title, giving you an immediate sense of its size.

Sprint Management

• Creating Sprints: Click the Create Sprint button at the top of the backlog to create a new sprint container.
• Sprint Display: Once created, sprints appear as distinct sections above the backlog, ready to be filled with work.
• Moving Tasks: Simply drag and drop tasks from the backlog list directly into a sprint to schedule them for active work.

Example Use Case

Scenario

You are the product owner for the "Mobile App Development" project. You need to organize the backlog to ensure that the highest-priority tasks are properly estimated and ready for the development team to pull into the next sprint.

Steps

1. View Backlog: Access the project backlog to see all the work items for your projects.
2. Edit Items: Review the filtered backlog. Add or edit the Story Point field as needed to refine the work items and prepare them for sprint planning.
3. Create Sprint: Click the Create Sprint button and name the new sprint "Q4 Sprint 1".
4. Move Tasks to Sprint: Drag and drop the highest-priority tasks from the backlog into the "Q4 Sprint 1" section until the team's capacity is met.
5. Review and Adjust: Continuously review the backlog, ensuring it remains prioritized and ready for future sprints.

The Foundation of Good Planning

By effectively managing your project backlog in Zymmr, you ensure that your team always has a clear, prioritized list of work ready to be pulled into sprints. This leads to better planning, more predictable execution, and ultimately, a more successful project.