Repository navigation
03 workflows backlog workflow
Doug Beard edited this page Aug 21, 2025
·
3 revisions
The backlog workflow in Coherence APM Framework v4.2.0 ensures systematic tracking of all project work through the project_docs/backlog/backlog.md integration. This workflow works with all 11 specialized personas and uses unified context engineering to maintain accurate, real-time project status and progress tracking.
-
Single Source of Truth:
project_docs/backlog/backlog.mdis the authoritative project status - Unified Context Updates: Status updated through session notes and persona workflows
- Command-Driven Management: Use actual 67 slash commands for backlog operations
- Voice-Enhanced Tracking: Audio notifications confirm backlog updates
-
Session-Based Progress: All updates captured in
.apm/session_notes/directory - Persona-Specific Responsibilities: Each of the 11 personas has defined backlog roles
📋 PROJECT BACKLOG
├── 🌟 EPICS (Large features, 2-8 weeks)
│ ├── 📖 USER STORIES (1-5 days each)
│ │ ├── ✅ ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA (Specific requirements)
│ │ ├── 📊 STORY POINTS (Complexity estimate)
│ │ └── 🏷️ STATUS (Ready, In Progress, Done, Blocked)
│ └── 🎯 EPIC PROGRESS (% completion based on story completion)
└── 📈 PROJECT METRICS (Velocity, burndown, capacity)
# Project Backlog - [Project Name]
## Project Overview
- **Project Goal**: [Clear statement of project objective]
- **Success Criteria**: [How we measure project success]
- **Timeline**: [Overall project timeline]
- **Team**: [Team members and roles]
## Sprint Information
### Current Sprint: Sprint [X] (YYYY-MM-DD to YYYY-MM-DD)
- **Sprint Goal**: [Primary objective for this sprint]
- **Team Capacity**: [Total story points available]
- **Committed Points**: [Story points committed to sprint]
- **Completed Points**: [Story points completed so far]
### Sprint Backlog
[Stories assigned to current sprint with status]
## Epic Progress Summary
| Epic | Stories | Completed | Progress | Priority |
|------|---------|-----------|----------|----------|
| User Management | 8 | 6 | 75% | High |
| Payment Processing | 5 | 2 | 40% | High |
| Reporting Dashboard | 6 | 0 | 0% | Medium |
## Detailed Epic & Story Tracking
### EPIC: [Epic Name] (Priority: High/Medium/Low)
**Epic Goal**: [What this epic accomplishes]
**Business Value**: [Why this epic matters]
**Acceptance Criteria**: [Epic-level completion criteria]
**Progress**: [X/Y stories complete] - [%] complete
**Status**: [Not Started/In Progress/Done/Blocked]
#### Story: [Story Title] (Priority: High/Medium/Low)
**As a** [user type] **I want** [functionality] **so that** [benefit]
**Story Points**: [1/2/3/5/8/13] **Status**: [Ready/In Progress/Done/Blocked]
**Assigned to**: [Developer name] **Sprint**: [Sprint number]
**Progress**: [% complete based on acceptance criteria]
**Acceptance Criteria**:
- [ ] [Specific, testable requirement 1]
- [ ] [Specific, testable requirement 2]
- [ ] [Specific, testable requirement 3]
**Definition of Done**:
- [ ] Code implemented and reviewed
- [ ] Unit tests written and passing
- [ ] Integration tests passing
- [ ] Documentation updated
- [ ] QA validation complete
**Notes & Updates**:
- **[YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM] - [Persona]**: [Update description]
---
## Velocity & Metrics Tracking
### Historical Velocity
| Sprint | Committed | Completed | Velocity | Team Notes |
|--------|-----------|-----------|----------|------------|
| Sprint 1 | 21 | 18 | 18 | Learning curve |
| Sprint 2 | 20 | 22 | 22 | Good rhythm |
| Sprint 3 | 24 | 20 | 20 | Blocked on integration |
### Current Metrics
- **Average Velocity**: [X story points per sprint]
- **Completion Rate**: [X% of committed stories completed]
- **Defect Rate**: [X defects per story point]
- **Cycle Time**: [Average days from start to done]
## Backlog Health Indicators
- **Ready Stories**: [X stories ready for next sprint]
- **Blocked Stories**: [X stories currently blocked]
- **Technical Debt**: [Estimated story points of technical debt]
- **Risk Items**: [High-risk stories or dependencies]-
/po- Product Owner for backlog prioritization and management -
/planning-groom- Structured backlog grooming and refinement -
/planning-epic- Epic creation and management -
/planning-stories- Individual story creation and management -
/user-stories- User story development and formatting -
/prioritization- Story and epic prioritization
-
/planning-stories- Batch story creation with unified context -
/planning-checklist- Coordinated verification of backlog items -
/qa-acceptance-criteria- Quality validation of acceptance criteria
-
/planning-validation- Validation of backlog items and criteria -
/planning-checklist- Systematic verification of backlog quality -
/sm- Scrum Master for sprint and story coordination
🔴 MANDATORY UPDATES - Update project_docs/backlog/backlog.md immediately when:
- ✅ Story status changes using
/poor/planning-groom - ✅ Acceptance criteria completed using
/qa-acceptance-criteria - ✅ Epic progress updates using
/planning-epic - ✅ Sprint assignments using
/smpersona - ✅ Dependencies discovered using session notes documentation
- ✅ Story points estimates updated
- ✅ Blockers identified or resolved
- ✅ Any work item creation, modification, or deletion
📊 PROGRESS TRACKING - Track and update:
- ✅ Story progress percentage based on acceptance criteria completion
- ✅ Epic progress percentage based on story completion
- ✅ Sprint burndown based on completed story points
- ✅ Team velocity based on completed stories per sprint
Daily Responsibilities:
- Review and update backlog status (morning and evening)
- Groom upcoming stories for readiness
- Prioritize stories based on business value
- Work with stakeholders on requirement clarification
- Run
/groomcommand weekly for comprehensive backlog analysis
Update Pattern:
**[YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM] - PO**: [Backlog management action]
Action: Groomed Sprint 4 stories, updated priorities based on stakeholder feedback
Stories Affected: USER-001, USER-003, PAY-002
Metrics: Team velocity holding steady at 22 points/sprint
Health: 2 sprints of ready stories available, no critical blockersDuring Development:
- Update story status when starting work (Ready → In Progress)
- Check off acceptance criteria as completed during development
- Update story progress percentage based on completion
- Note any technical decisions or architectural choices
- Update Definition of Done checklist items
Update Pattern:
**[YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM] - Developer**: Story USER-001 progress update
Progress: 60% complete (3/5 acceptance criteria done)
Completed: User registration form, validation logic
Next: Email verification and password reset
Technical Notes: Using JWT for session management, bcrypt for passwords
Blockers: None currentlyDuring Testing:
- Update story status during testing phases
- Mark acceptance criteria as validated
- Note any defects found and resolution
- Update Definition of Done testing items
- Validate epic completion when all stories are done
Update Pattern:
**[YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM] - QA**: Story USER-001 testing complete
Test Results: All acceptance criteria validated
Test Coverage: 95% code coverage achieved
Defects: 1 minor UI issue found and fixed
Status: Ready for production deployment
Epic Impact: Epic USER now 75% complete (6/8 stories done)During Architecture Work:
- Update stories with technical design decisions
- Note any changes to story scope based on technical constraints
- Update dependencies between stories
- Document technical debt or future architecture improvements
Update Pattern:
**[YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM] - Architect**: Technical design update for Epic PAY
Architecture Decision: Using Stripe for payment processing
Story Impact: Reduced complexity of PAY-001, PAY-002 (8pts → 5pts each)
Dependencies: PAY-003 now depends on Stripe webhook implementation
Tech Debt: Need to refactor existing payment validation in future sprintSprint Management:
- Update sprint assignments and capacity
- Track velocity and completion rates
- Manage dependencies and resolve blockers
- Report on overall project progress
Update Pattern:
**[YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM] - PM**: Sprint 3 planning complete
Sprint Goal: Complete user authentication and begin payment integration
Capacity: 24 story points (6 developers × 4 points average)
Committed: 22 story points (buffer for unknown work)
Risk: Payment integration dependency on legal approval
Mitigation: Parallel work on other epics if payment blocked/po → Epic creation → /architect → Technical analysis → /planning-stories → Story breakdown
Process:
- Epic Creation: Product Owner defines epic with business value
- Technical Analysis: Architect reviews technical approach and constraints
- Story Breakdown: Collaborative breakdown into manageable user stories
- Story Grooming: Refinement of stories with acceptance criteria
- Estimation: Team estimates story points for each story
/pm → Sprint planning → /groom → Story refinement → /implementation-sprint → Execution
Process:
- Capacity Planning: Determine team capacity for sprint
- Story Selection: Choose stories based on priority and capacity
- Sprint Commitment: Team commits to specific stories
- Parallel Execution: Multiple developers work on stories simultaneously
- Progress Tracking: Continuous updates to backlog status
Weekly: /groom → Backlog analysis → Story refinement → /prioritization → Updated priorities
Process:
- Backlog Health Check: Review overall backlog health indicators
- Story Refinement: Update stories based on new information
- Priority Adjustment: Re-prioritize based on business changes
- Capacity Planning: Ensure enough ready stories for upcoming sprints
- Risk Assessment: Identify and plan for high-risk items
A story is only "Done" when:
- ✅ ALL acceptance criteria are checked off as complete
- ✅ ALL Definition of Done items are completed
- ✅ Code is reviewed, tested, and deployed
- ✅ Business stakeholder has validated functionality
- ✅ Documentation is updated
Epic progress is calculated as:
- Completion Percentage: (Completed Stories / Total Stories) × 100
- Story Point Percentage: (Completed Points / Total Points) × 100
- Use story point percentage for more accurate progress tracking
Sprint health indicators:
- Green: On track to complete 90%+ of committed stories
- Yellow: May complete 70-89% of committed stories
- Red: Likely to complete <70% of committed stories
Backlog must be updated:
- ✅ Within 4 hours of any story status change
- ✅ Daily during active development
- ✅ Immediately after sprint ceremonies
- ✅ Before any stakeholder or management reporting
### Velocity Analysis
- **3-Sprint Average**: 21 story points per sprint
- **Trend**: Increasing (+2 points per sprint)
- **Predictability**:
- **Capacity Utilization**: 92% (good utilization without overcommitment)### Story Completion Patterns
- **Average Cycle Time**: 3.2 days per story
- **Completion Rate**: 89% (stories completed vs. started)
- **Defect Rate**: 0.8 defects per story (below 1.0 target)
- **Rework Rate**: 12% (acceptable, target <15%)### Backlog Health Dashboard
- **Ready Stories**: 2.5 sprints worth (target: 2-3 sprints)
- **Blocked Stories**: 2 stories (target: <3 stories)
- **Technical Debt**: 15% of total backlog (target: <20%)
- **Requirements Clarity**: 95% of next sprint stories fully definedPurpose: Complete backlog health assessment and grooming Frequency: Weekly Output: Updated backlog.md with health metrics and recommendations
Purpose: Detailed analysis and refinement of specific stories Use Case: When stories need deeper analysis or clarification Output: Refined story with clear acceptance criteria
Purpose: Re-evaluate and adjust story priorities based on business changes Frequency: Bi-weekly or when business priorities change Output: Updated priority rankings with justification
Purpose: Review backlog items with business stakeholders Use Case: Epic completion, major milestone reviews Output: Stakeholder feedback and approval documentation
Purpose: Develop multiple stories simultaneously
Performance: 3-5x speedup for related stories
Output: Parallel progress on multiple backlog items
Purpose: AI-powered recommendation for next story to work on Factors: Priority, dependencies, developer skills, capacity Output: Optimal story selection with justification
Problem: Backlog status doesn't reflect actual work progress Impact: Inaccurate reporting, poor planning decisions Solution: Real-time updates, mandatory update triggers
Problem: Stories marked "Done" with incomplete acceptance criteria Impact: Incomplete features, technical debt, user dissatisfaction Solution: Strict completion definition, QA validation
Problem: Epics grow beyond original scope without recognition Impact: Timeline delays, resource overallocation Solution: Regular epic review, scope change documentation
Problem: Manipulating story points to show higher velocity Impact: Inaccurate planning, unrealistic expectations Solution: Consistent estimation practices, velocity trend analysis
- Weekly Grooming Sessions: Regular backlog health assessment
- Just-in-Time Refinement: Refine stories 1-2 sprints before development
- Stakeholder Involvement: Include business stakeholders in grooming
- Technical Review: Include technical team in story refinement
- Historical Velocity: Use past performance for future planning
- Completion Patterns: Analyze what types of stories are completed successfully
- Risk Assessment: Factor risk into story point estimates
- Capacity Planning: Plan for team member availability and skills
- Real-Time Status: Backlog reflects current state at all times
- Regular Reporting: Consistent reporting to stakeholders
- Issue Escalation: Clear escalation path for blockers
- Success Celebration: Recognize and celebrate epic completions
- Session Notes: Link session work to specific backlog items
- Progress Documentation: Document story progress in session notes
- Context Preservation: Maintain context between development sessions
- Multi-Story Sprints: Use parallel development for related stories
- Epic Coordination: Coordinate parallel work across epic stories
- Dependency Management: Manage dependencies in parallel development
- Multi-User Updates: Multiple team members updating same backlog
- Communication Protocols: Clear communication about backlog changes
- Conflict Resolution: Process for resolving conflicting updates
- Session Management - Linking work sessions to backlog items
- Team Collaboration - Multi-user backlog management
- Parallel Development - Accelerating backlog completion
- Typical Project Flow - Backlog role in project lifecycle
Maintain accurate, real-time project tracking through disciplined backlog management and continuous progress updates.