Rank the backlog

A key factor in planning release and sprint backlogs effectively is arranging the backlog by rank. After items in the backlog are ranked, you can plan the highest ranking items to the next release or sprint backlog.

Click the Rank column header to sort the grid by rank. Initially, backlog items are ranked in the order in which they were created. To reverse the sort order, click the Rank column header again.

Drag a single item up or down the grid to change its rank, or select multiple items and drag them to a new position. Alternatively, enter a new rank number in the Rank field. Other items are automatically shifted up or down the grid and re-ranked accordingly.

To shift items to the top or bottom ranks, select the items, and select Rank Highest or Rank Lowest in the right-click menu.

Backlog items do not have a fixed rank number: in any grid, the items are listed in their relative positions, and ranked consecutively from 1 to [no. of items in the grid].

Note:  

  • After you set ranks, the ranking is preserved even if you sort the grid by another field. When you sort again by rank, the ranking is restored.
  • You cannot display ranking in a grouped grid.

What do you want to do?

After you rank a main backlog, you can effortlessly rank any subset of the main backlog. A subset of the product backlog, for example, can be a release or sprint backlog, or a filtered grid.

The items in the subset retain their relative positions from the main backlog, and are ranked consecutively from 1 to [no. of items in the grid].

Changes you make to ranks in the subset are reflected in the main backlog.

Tip: If you want to determine the position of a backlog item relative to other items in the full backlog, right-click the item, and select Show Position in Backlog.

New items that you create are ranked below the lowest ranking backlog item in the product backlog.

You can edit an item's rank by entering a number in the Rank field. The following rules apply:

  • Moving up a rank. When you move an item to a higher rank n, the edited item is moved above the item that was previously ranked n. In the example below, us5 is changed from rank 5 to rank 2. As a result, items us2 to us4 are moved down one rank each.

  • Moving down a rank. When you move an item to a lower rank n, the edited item is moved below the item that was previously ranked n. In the example below, us5 is changed from rank 5 to rank 8. As a result, items us7 to us5 are moved up one rank each.

Example: To demonstrate some of the auto-ranking behavior, prepare a grid of backlog items, and remove all filters. Then perform the following steps:

Step

Result
1. Sort the grid by rank. The grid is ranked according to the order in which items were created, or according to ranks you previously set.
2. Drag items up or down the grid.

The items' ranks are set according to their new position in the grid.
3. Define a filter for the grid. The filtered items are listed in order of their rank, and ranked from 1 to [no. of items in the grid].
4. Drag an item to the second row in the grid. Make a note of the item on the top row. The item's rank is set according to its new position in the filtered grid.
5. Clear the filter. The item you moved is ranked immediately below the top ranked item in the filtered grid.