What is a Product Backlog?
Answer
The Product Backlog is an ordered list of everything needed to improve the product — it is the single source of work for the Scrum Team. It is maintained by the Product Owner, who is responsible for its content, availability, and ordering. Key characteristics: (1) Dynamic — constantly evolves as the product and market evolve; (2) Ordered by value — higher-priority items are at the top, more refined, and smaller; lower-priority items are coarser; (3) Items — called Product Backlog Items (PBIs); often expressed as User Stories (though not required by Scrum); (4) Estimates — items typically have effort estimates (story points, days); (5) Product Goal — the long-term objective embedded in the Product Backlog. Backlog Refinement is the ongoing process of adding detail, estimates, and order to backlog items.