Product Backlog vs. Sprint Backlog: What are the Differences?

Two of the most essential Scrum artifacts in product development are the product backlog and the sprint backlog. Both outline the work items required to complete a project. 

However, while product backlogs outline necessary product developments, fixes, and improvements throughout the product life cycle, sprint backlogs commit specific actions for upcoming sprints. 

Our product backlog vs. sprint backlog article outlines key differences between the two Scrum artifacts. 

In a nutshell:

• The product backlog is a list of work items required in building a product
• The sprint backlog is a list of work items the team pulls from a product backlog and commits to completing within a sprint period
• Product backlogs and sprint backlogs differ in dependency, scope, purpose, ownership, duration, and flexibility

💡 Product backlogs and sprint backlogs are documents created in Scrum, an Agile framework.

What is a product backlog?

The product backlog is a prioritized list of work items that a product team needs to complete to ensure that a product is functional and maximizes value. It’s created during the product planning process and closed at the end of the product’s life cycle. 

The team derives product backlog items from goals set in the product roadmap. Examples of product backlog items include:

• Features
• Bug fixes
• Feature improvements 
• Customer or stakeholder requests
• Design changes
• Technical debt

The product backlog is not a fixed list. The team may add, remove, or change items, allowing for continuous product refinement as market conditions, customer expectations, and other requirements evolve. 

The primary purpose of the product backlog is to provide a single source of truth for product development. It sets clear expectations for what needs to be done, guiding upcoming work while also preventing unnecessary work. Teams are not allowed to work on anything not listed on the product backlog. 

What is a sprint backlog?

The sprint backlog is the list of work items a team commits to completing within a sprint. It is created during sprint planning. All sprint backlog items are derived from the product backlog and contribute to a sprint goal. Unlike product backlogs, sprint backlogs are fixed until the duration of the sprint. 

Teams build sprint backlogs during sprint planning sessions to align work expectations for the upcoming sprint. The terms on the sprint backlog are absolute. Like with product backlogs, teams are not allowed to work on items not listed on a sprint backlog. 

These restrictions ensure that all resources are allocated to necessary work, thus preventing scope creep. 

If your goal is to improve brand awareness, polishing the website might take priority. Implementing a design that works well on both mobile and desktop, plus ensuring that the website is bug-free, will enhance your professional image. Thus, these will be at the top of your backlog. 

You would then prioritize tasks based on their impact on workflow efficiency. 

Since creating a CSS script is dependent on the wireframe, and testing the design is dependent on the CSS script, building the wireframe would take the highest priority. 

Product backlogs vs. sprint backlogs key differences

Product backlogs and sprint backlogs differ in seven key aspects: dependency, scope, purpose, ownership, duration, flexibility, and prioritization. 

Dependency

The product backlog exists independently of the sprint backlog. However, the sprint backlog consists of items pulled from the product backlog.

Scope 

The product backlog contains all work items required to complete a product. This can include features, improvements, bug fixes, and customer requests.

Being a subset of the product backlog, the sprint backlog contains only the work items the team commits to accomplish within the sprint. 

Purpose

Think of the product backlog as the blueprint for a house. It defines all features that the construction team needs to build during the construction process.

Meanwhile, the sprint backlog is more like a to-do list. It outlines what the construction team should accomplish within a given time frame. 

Ownership

The responsibility of managing the product backlog falls on the product owner. Their access to the development team, stakeholders, and company higher-ups makes them qualified to align backlog priorities with business goals and stakeholder expectations.

Meanwhile, managing the sprint backlog falls on the development team. Because they have a better understanding of their skills and work styles, they’re more capable of setting realistic sprint agendas. 

Duration

The product backlog is updated continuously throughout a product’s life cycle. Meanwhile, the sprint backlog is only used for the duration of a sprint, typically lasting 2-4 weeks.

Flexibility

Items on a product backlog continuously change according to evolving product requirements. Sprint backlogs remain fixed to give teams a clear outline of upcoming work. 

Prioritization

Product backlog items are prioritized based on product strategy. Teams take functionality, market relevance, revenue generation, and complexity into account when determining which items to work on first. 

Essential features may take higher priority at the start of the product development process. Later, once the product’s core features have been built, teams might prioritize bugs, customer requests, or features competitors lack. 

Meanwhile, sprint backlogs prioritize items based on their impact on workflow efficiency. Typically, dependencies take priority since some tasks can only be started once prerequisites are completed. 

Why you should use a product and sprint backlog together 

The sprint backlog is derived from the product backlog. To be more specific, the product backlog describes what you want to execute, while the sprint backlog instructs how and when you intend to execute it. 

You should be using both instead of one. 

First, it’s best to think of the product backlog as a descriptive statement and the sprint backlog as a prescriptive one. The product backlog has a built-in assumption: Completing the following requirements will make your product functional and maximize its value. 

Let’s say you’re building a website to market your B2B SaaS platform. This is what your product backlog might look like:

Then comes your sprint backlog. The sprint backlog is an instruction. It can say something like: You should complete these work items within the next two to four weeks. 

Everything in the statement is variable, from the work items you commit to to the time frame of the sprint. It’s on you to choose what best aligns with your team’s needs.

Let’s take “Implement responsive web design” from the product backlog in the above example. You will break this item down into smaller tasks. 

Though the guidelines set in the sprint backlog are arbitrary, they remain beneficial to product development workflows. 

Committing to a sprint backlog provides structure for upcoming work. It makes day-to-day work more predictable, reducing stress for team members. It also keeps the team on track, limiting scope creep. 

Summary

Without backlogs, it’s easy to lose track of upcoming, ongoing, and completed work. The lack of organization can cost you time, resources, and team morale.

Scrum product development promotes organized work by enforcing the use of product and sprint backlogs. Product backlogs outline all necessary product additions, fixes, improvements, and other changes, ensuring that the product you release delivers the value it promises. 

Meanwhile, sprint backlogs provide an action plan for upcoming sprints. 

The product backlog is a shared reference for all necessary work. The sprint backlog assigns work to be completed within a sprint, allowing your team to move through the product backlog at a comfortable pace. Both are essential in aligning teams and preventing scope creep. 

The Shortcut project management software empowers you through the product development and management process. It offers powerful backlog management tools that help you stay on top of work throughout the entire product life cycle. For more information, refer to the Shortcut Iterations page. 

FAQs

Are all product backlog items user stories?

Product backlog items encompass all types of product requirements, including features, bug fixes, feature improvements, customer or stakeholder requests, design changes, and technical debt. While you can translate most product backlog items into user stories, it is not necessary. 

Why is the sprint backlog separate from the product backlog?

Product development is an ongoing process that persists past product completion and launch. As requirements change, you'll need to keep updating the product backlog with new features, improvements, bug fixes, and other changes.

Sprints help divide work into manageable chunks. The sprint backlog assigns what work items to focus on for an upcoming sprint. This ensures that the team works at a steady pace, preventing burnout. 

Are product backlog items usually larger than sprint backlog items?

Sprint backlog items are derived from product backlog items. Typically, they break product backlog items down into smaller tasks. Therefore, product backlog items are usually larger than sprint backlog items.