<!-- Backlog policy · from Chapter 03 of The Product 360 Handbook -->

# Backlog policy · [Product or team] · [Date]

**Accountable:** [PM]   **Reviewed:** quarterly

## Three stores
1. **Request inbox:** every raw ask, linked to account and ARR. Never ordered, never promised. Searchable by the field.
2. **Opportunity backlog:** requests clustered into customer problems, sized by accounts and ARR, linked to a coherent action.
3. **Delivery backlog:** ordered and refined; covers the next [one to two] cycles of Now only. Maximum size: [n] items.

## Entry criteria for the delivery backlog
- [ ] Linked opportunity and outcome
- [ ] Evidence level stated
- [ ] Owner named
- [ ] Rough size
- [ ] Acceptance criteria
- [ ] AI features: eval or quality bar defined

## Ageing rule
Items untouched for [two quarters] are archived with a reason. The requester's status updates automatically.

## Capacity split
| Category | Share | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| New value | | |
| Platform and enablers | | |
| Quality, debt, evals and model migration | | |
| Customer commitments | | |

## Cadence
- Weekly: refine the top of the delivery backlog.
- Monthly: opportunity review; cluster new requests.
- Quarterly: strategy and roadmap check; reset capacity split.
- Any reorder of a commitment is communicated within [n] business days.

## Request statuses a seller can quote
Logged · Mapped to theme [x] · In discovery · Planned (Now) · Not planned this half · Won't do (with reason)