Product Backlog
The Product Backlog is one extra board in Gitlab which helps you create, refine and prioritize your project User Stories. To make it function as a Product Backlog, you need to create the following board:
- Give the title 'Product Backlog'.
- For the List-options you only choose for 'Show the Open list', disable the 'Closed' list.
- In the Scope you select 'Milestones' > 'No Milestone'.
Create the following labels in the project:
- 'Product Backlog::Requirements Gathering'
- 'Product Backlog::Ready for estimation'
- 'Product Backlog::Ready for sprint'
Select some nice colours for the labels, so it's easy to identify them.
Now you can create lists in the Product Backlog board, in the same order:
Board usage
The Product Backlog board helps you as a team manage the User Stories in the Product Backlog at the beginning of the project, but also at the end/start of a sprint. It helps you brainstorm and refine the User Stories, and then prioritize them.
- It starts with the 'Open'-list, this is where you start creating User Stories. This is a brainstorm process, don't be too critical yet. You don't need all the details yet.
- In the next step you are refining the User Stories. This is where you add more details, and start to think about the description, tasks and acceptance criteria. This happens in the 'Requirements Gathering'-list.
- Once you have a few User Stories, you can start prioritizing them. This is where you start to think about the value of the User Stories, and start to prioritize them. This happens in the 'Ready for estimation'-list.
- After the estimation, you can start planning the sprint. This is where you start to think about the User Stories that you want to work on in the next sprint. This happens in the 'Ready for sprint'-list.
- Now when the sprint starts, you move the User Stories to the Sprint board by setting the milestone to the sprint you are working on.