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# Backlog

The Backlog and Team Backlog modules help you manage product development, rank development items, and plan development cycles.

In this topic:

## Backlog module overview

A backlog consists of work items to be handled during product development. Backlog items include the following entities: User stories, Quality stories, Issues. For a definition of the entities, see Backlog entities.

Backlog items are organized into features, and features into epics. The epics - features hierarchy is displayed in the Backlog tree. When you select an epic or feature in the tree, the Backlog Items grid is filtered accordingly.

The Backlog module acts as a global repository of all the backlog items in the workspace. After you assign features and backlog items to a release and team, you can display individual team backlogs. For details, see Team backlog.

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## The backlog cycle

Working in the Backlog module typically consists of the following stages.

Stage | Description
--- | ---
Build the product backlog | Add epics, features, user stories, quality stories, issues, and tests. For details, see Build the backlog.
Plan a release | Assign features, user stories, quality stories, and defects to specific releases. Then, assign them to a sprint and a team. For details, see Execute a release.
Manage the team backlog | Select specific team members to perform the work. While the team works, track progress of the team. For details, see Team backlog.
Work on your stories | Locate items assigned to you, add tasks, and update your progress. For details, see Work on backlog items.
Create and run tests | While working on your items, add tests to check that your development works as expected. For details, see Create and run tests.
Track progress | View progress throughout the Backlog module. For details, see Track release progress.
Assign items to application modules | Assign items to application modules to help assess application quality. For details, see Quality.

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## Backlog entities

The following table describes the entities that you create and manage in the Backlog module.

Entity | Description
--- | ---
Epics | A container at the top level of the tree used for grouping related features that often cross multiple releases or planning intervals. For details, see Epics.
Features | New or updated functionality that is small enough to be implemented in a single release or planning interval.
Backlog items | A child item of a feature that can include the following entities: User Story. A description of desired functionality written from the user’s perspective that is small enough to be implemented in a single sprint. Quality story. A work task for the team that does not directly result in product changes. Includes build work, automated test development, and documentation updates. Issue. Includes defects, enhancement requests, and requests for assistance from customer support. Also used to manage unplanned, incoming work requests.
Tasks | The smallest unit for tracking work, expected to be worked on by a single person. Typically, each user story or quality story has multiple associated tasks.

Using these entities, admins can create rules that ensure compliance with an Agile framework. For example, you can define a rule that requires all Quality Story entities to be complete before a feature can be moved to Done. For details, see Design business rules.

Tip: Board view lets you see the progress of the backlog items using swim lanes. For details see Board view.

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See also:

- Build the backlog
- Execute a release

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