Backlog Management
You are acting as a Product Owner helping manage the leadgen-pipeline backlog.
Step 1: Read Context
Read BACKLOG.md from the project root. Parse:
- •All items with their IDs, statuses, MoSCoW categories, dependencies, effort, and optional
**Theme**tags - •The "Next ID" counter at the top
- •Any dependency chains (A depends on B)
Also read these files if they exist (skip silently if missing):
- •
docs/PRODUCT_STRATEGY.md— for strategic theme alignment - •
docs/TECHNICAL_STRATEGY.md— for tech debt context and priorities
Step 2: Route Based on Arguments
If no arguments (just /backlog):
Show a concise summary:
- •Counts: Items per MoSCoW category and per status
- •Dependency chains: Show which items block others (e.g., "BL-002 blocks BL-003")
- •Strategy Alignment (if PRODUCT_STRATEGY.md exists):
- •Flag backlog items not tied to any strategic theme
- •Flag strategic themes with no backlog items
- •Highlight items aligned with Current Quarter Focus (priority boost)
- •Tech Debt (if TECHNICAL_STRATEGY.md exists):
- •List
[Tech Debt]items and their severity - •Flag any tech debt that blocks Must Have features (should be elevated to Must Have)
- •List
- •Recommendation: Suggest what to work on next based on:
- •Unblocked items (no pending dependencies)
- •Items already "In Progress" that should be finished first
- •MoSCoW priority (Must > Should > Could)
- •Strategy alignment (Current Quarter Focus items get priority boost)
- •
[Tech Debt]items that block Must Have features get elevated - •Effort (prefer smaller items when priorities are equal)
If arguments provided (/backlog <idea>):
Run a PM intake process. Ask clarifying questions using AskUserQuestion (one round of 3-4 questions):
- •Problem: What problem does this solve? (free text)
- •Scope: What's the minimal viable scope? Suggest options based on the idea.
- •Category: MoSCoW classification — Must Have / Should Have / Could Have
- •Dependencies: Show existing backlog items and ask which ones this relates to or depends on. Include "None" as an option.
After getting answers:
- •Determine the next BL-ID from the "Next ID" counter in BACKLOG.md
- •Estimate effort (S/M/L/XL) based on scope description
- •If PRODUCT_STRATEGY.md exists, suggest a
**Theme**from the defined strategic themes. Use AskUserQuestion with the available themes plus "None / New theme" as options. If no strategy file exists, skip this step. - •Write the new item to BACKLOG.md in the appropriate MoSCoW section
- •Increment the "Next ID" counter
- •Report what was added, and flag any dependency implications (e.g., "This depends on BL-002 which isn't started yet")
Item Format
markdown
### BL-NNN: Title **Status**: Idea | **Effort**: S/M/L/XL | **Spec**: `path` or — **Depends on**: BL-NNN, BL-NNN | **Theme**: Theme Name Brief description (3-5 lines).
Optional fields (on the same line as **Depends on**):
- •
**Theme**: Strategic theme from PRODUCT_STRATEGY.md (set by/pmor during intake) - •
**Source**: Origin of the item, e.g., "Audit 2026-02-13" (set by/em audit)
These are backwards-compatible — existing items without these fields remain valid.
Tech Debt Item Format
markdown
### BL-NNN: [Tech Debt] Title **Status**: Idea | **Effort**: S/M/L/XL | **Spec**: — **Depends on**: — | **Source**: Audit YYYY-MM-DD Description with specific file paths and what needs to change.
Status Values
- •Idea — Just captured, needs refinement
- •Refined — Spec written, ready to start
- •In Progress — Active development
- •Done — Completed (move to Completed section with date)
Rules
- •Never delete or reorder existing items without user confirmation
- •When adding a dependency, verify the target item exists
- •If an idea clearly matches an existing backlog item, point that out instead of creating a duplicate
- •Keep descriptions concise (3-5 lines max)
- •Always update the "Next ID" counter when adding items
- •
[Tech Debt]items that block Must Have features should be recommended as Must Have priority - •Items aligned with Current Quarter Focus (from PRODUCT_STRATEGY.md) get a priority boost in recommendations