Make your Product Backlog Speak the Whole Story

What is a conventional Product Backlog?

The conventional Product Backlog contains an ordered list of requirements often written in a User Story form. These fragmented “stories” do not give us a clear picture of what the Product is, or what values they bring as a whole. The Product Owner, the Development Team and stakeholders all depend on this backlog to fill their roles in Scrum, yet this very backbone that they rely on does not present a mental image of the product that the team needs to bring out the product’s value or advantage.

What does a conventional backlog look like?

Imagine you’re a stakeholder of our task management software, Quire. By convention, you’ll have access to a Product Backlog that looks something like the list below:

Each of these user stories is self sufficient in portraying a requirement; however, by sorting them with respect to their Return On Investment, we've taken each item out of their context—the core value that they contribute to the product.

How do you build a tree-structured backlog in Quire?

Let’s try a different approach to creating a Product Backlog in Quire.

We first put down the core values that drive the development of our product:

Although these “epics” are too large to be estimated with any reliable accuracy, they do paint a better picture of what values this product would bring.

We then expand on each epic, specifying more stories, or even more epics, that would build on top of these foundations toward our product:

Notice this tree-like structure fits naturally with how we had developed our ideas. If we make the analogy that the product is a tree, then the epics would be the main branches of the tree. With the conventional Product Backlog, we are picking up a leaf here and there at the ends, stacking them up without seeing what the whole tree looks like.

With Quire’s tree structure, we can nest stories within other stories(or epics) so we’re always made aware of their context and not lose focus on what value we wish to bring forth in the product.

But we are supposed to prioritize the Product Backlog Items?

The convention dictates that we put the Product Backlog Item with highest priority on the top of the list; but there are other alternatives to highlight our immediate concerns than a sorted list.

We can define priority level tags such as PL1, PL2, and so on; upon the Product Owner gets all the necessary information to prioritize the tasks, he or she can assign these tags to tasks that are in considerations for the upcoming Sprints:

How do distributed teams estimate effort?

It’s best to estimate effort on tasks together in a meeting room, but team members often live on different continents. Quire’s built-in chat is a good alternative for estimating together.

During the Sprint Planning Meeting, when it comes to picking the items to commit to the next Sprint, team can then use Quire’s filter function to display only the items that are of immediate concern:

How does Quire's backlog compare to Jira's?

Jira owns the Scrum backlog and sprint space: it ships a dedicated backlog view, sprint objects, story-point estimation, and burndown charts out of the box. Quire takes a lighter approach. There is no separate sprint module or burndown chart. Instead you shape the backlog as a task tree, tag priority levels, and pull Sprint candidates with filters. That trade keeps the whole product visible in one structure rather than splitting it across a backlog screen and a board. If your team lives inside formal sprint ceremonies and velocity reporting, Jira fits that workflow more directly. If you want the backlog and the delivery plan to stay in one connected tree, Quire's model is simpler to run.

Can Quire's Table view manage the backlog today?

Yes. Quire's Table view renders the same task tree as a spreadsheet, so you can sort, filter, and bulk-edit backlog items alongside custom fields for priority, estimate, or status. It is a faster way to triage a large backlog than scrolling the tree, and every edit stays linked to the item's parent epic. Quire has no native sprint burndown, so treat the Table view as a backlog-grooming and prioritization surface rather than a full sprint-tracking dashboard.

What should a Product Backlog really capture?

A Product Backlog should not only contain fragmented user stories. Rather, it should speak the whole vision your team has for the product. Coarse requirements better portray value and as we develop them into finer items, they branch into items that are more tangible so we can assess their cost more accurately. A tree structure naturally captures this branching and retains information encoded in both, and as a whole.

We've only tapped into how Quire can help us to reinvent the Product Backlog. We’ll explore how Quire can be used to deal with other aspects of Scrum in subsequent articles. Until then, please give Quire a try and let us know what you think.

Related: What Is Agile Project Management? A Remote Team Guide — how this same tree-structured thinking fits into a full Agile workflow for distributed teams.

Related: What Is a Scrum Master? Role, Responsibilities, and How Scrum Works (2026) — how the Scrum Master role works alongside the Product Owner to keep this backlog moving.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Product Backlog in Scrum?

It's an ordered list of requirements, usually written as User Stories, that the Product Owner, Development Team, and stakeholders rely on. It's conventionally sorted by Return On Investment.

What is wrong with a flat, ordered Product Backlog?

It strips each story out of its context, so the team loses the bigger picture of the product's value. You end up picking individual leaves without seeing the tree.

How does a tree-structured Product Backlog work in Quire?

You start with epics that capture core product values, then nest stories underneath them. The tree keeps every story tied to its parent epic, so vision and tasks stay visible together.

How do you prioritize a Product Backlog without a sorted list?

Use priority level tags like PL1 and PL2 instead of strict ordering, and assign them to tasks being considered for upcoming Sprints. The Product Owner can revise tags anytime without rearranging the backlog.

How do you choose Sprint items from a tree backlog?

Use Quire's filter function during Sprint Planning to show only items tagged with a priority level like PL1. Quire's live chat then helps distributed teams estimate effort together.

How does Quire's backlog compare to Jira's?

Jira ships a dedicated Scrum backlog, sprints, story points, and burndown charts. Quire is lighter: you shape the backlog as a task tree, tag priority levels, and filter for Sprint candidates, with no separate sprint module.

Can Quire's Table view manage the backlog?

Yes. Table view shows the task tree as a spreadsheet, so you can sort, filter, and bulk-edit backlog items with custom fields. It has no native sprint burndown, so use it for grooming and prioritization.