A Backlog is a buildup of work that needs to be completed. The term "backlog" has a number of uses in accounting and finance. It may, for example, refer to a company's sales orders waiting to be filled or a stack of financial paperwork, such as loan applications, that needs to be processed.In information technology (IT), the term "backlog" often refers to an ordered list of tasks or features that need to be completed in order for a project or product release to happen. A backlog can grow quickly when new tasks are constantly being added and old tasks never get removed. This can lead to frustration among team members who feel like they're always playing catch-up.There are several ways teams can manage their backlogs:1- By priority: Tasks can be sorted by importance so the most critical items are worked on first.2- By date: Tasks can be arranged according to when they're due or when they were last worked on.3- In iterations: Teams working in short cycles (usually two weeks or less) can pull tasks from the top of the backlog each cycle and complete them before moving on others items
further down the list4- By size: The backlog can be ordered by the effort or complexity of each item. A test backlog is a list of tests or test cases to be executed. It can be used to track the progress of testing, and to ensure that all aspects of the software product have been tested.The term "backlog" is also used in project management and refers to work that has not yet been started, but is planned for future work. Backlogs are commonly used in agile project management, where the items on the backlog are the requirements that have not been completed by designing or coding yet. A backlog can be a list of features, requirements, defects or other items that need to be worked on.
