Product backlog — curated best-practice URLs¶
Purpose: External references on product backlog hygiene, prioritization, refinement, user stories, and discovery. Use with BACKLOG_HIERARCHY.md (Epic → Story → Description).
Disclaimer: Links go to third parties; bookmark/save what you trust. This is not certification prep — it’s a reading list.
Official / framework¶
| # | Resource | Why it’s here |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Scrum Guide | Authoritative Product Backlog definition, ordering, Product Goal, emergence |
| 2 | Scrum Guides — download | PDF/HTML alternatives, revisions |
Refinement, ordering, team habits¶
| # | Resource | Why it’s here |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Scrum.org — What is a Product Backlog? | Clear PO accountability + ordering vocabulary |
| 4 | Scrum.org — Product backlog refinement | What refinement is (detail, estimates, order) — not a mandatory “meeting” |
| 5 | Scrum.org — 5 reasons refining the backlog is worth the time | Short case for ongoing prep before planning |
| 6 | Atlassian — Backlog refinement | Accessible primer (clarify, estimate, prioritize, split) |
Product management – prioritization & backlog shape¶
| # | Resource | Why it’s here |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | Roman Pichler — Prioritising the Product Backlog | Value, risk, releasability, dependencies as ordering lenses |
| 8 | Roman Pichler — Product backlog FAQs | Goal-oriented, detailed-at-top, emergent, ordered |
| 9 | Roman Pichler — 5 tips for stocking the product backlog | Avoid garbage-in; keep backlog intentional |
Discovery vs delivery (outcome thinking)¶
| # | Resource | Why it’s here |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | SVPG — The Opportunity Backlog | Separate problems/opportunities from shipped feature lists; validate before heavy build |
| 11 | SVPG — Timeboxing Product Discovery | Cheap, fast learning cycles before committing build |
If a slug moves, open svpg.com/articles and search the title.
User stories — quality & splitting¶
| # | Resource | Why it’s here |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Mountain Goat Software — User stories (Mike Cohn) | Card / Conversation / Confirmation; Cohn story basics |
| 13 | XP123 — INVEST in Good Stories, and SMART Tasks (Bill Wake) | INVEST mnemonic for story quality (independent, negotiable, valuable, estimable, small, testable) |
Alternate host for INVEST: INVEST in Good Stories (xp123 xplor)
How we use this in where_cursor_feels_home¶
- Epic = theme (strategic bucket).
- Story = one row in
BACKLOG.md(BL-##, headline in Title column). - Description = narrative / acceptance hints in
BACKLOG_STORY_DETAILS.md.
Prioritize and refine the top of the backlog in line with Scrum Guide + Pichler: clear near-term items, coarse far-term items.
Last curated: 2026-03-24 — minimum 13 URLs; extend with your org’s standards (e.g. internal security review gates).