Marketing project management can be a complex process, with multiple stakeholders, shifting priorities, and tight deadlines. To manage these challenges effectively, many marketing teams have turned to Agile Scrum project management, which emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and a focus on delivering value to the customer or stakeholder. Marketing teams can use Agile Scrum to balance stress and productivity, and creating a project backlog with prioritized tasks is an essential first step.

Read an overview regarding how Agile Scrum can be used for marketing project management >

What is a Backlog in Agile Scrum Project Management?

In Agile Scrum project management, a backlog is a prioritized list of projects. In strictly applied Agile Scrum, these projects or tasks would be called user stories (short, simple descriptions of a feature or function that a user wants to perform) that the development team will work on to complete the project. When Agile Scrum is applied to marketing teams, the user stories are generally just projects or tasks. The backlog is typically managed by the product owner, who determines which user stories are most important to the project and places them at the top of the list.

Why is a Backlog Important in Agile Scrum?

A backlog is an essential tool in Agile Scrum project management for several reasons:

• It provides a clear view of what work needs to be done. By maintaining a prioritized backlog, everyone involved in the project can see what tasks are coming up and what work is most important.

• It allows the team to be flexible and adapt to changing priorities. As new information becomes available or priorities shift, the backlog can be adjusted to reflect the new reality.

• It helps the team focus on delivering value. By prioritizing the most important user stories, the team can focus on delivering value to the customer or end-user as quickly as possible.

• It promotes collaboration and transparency. The backlog is a shared document that everyone can see, which promotes collaboration and transparency within the team.

How to Get Started with a Project Backlog for Marketing Teams

If you're a marketing team that has modified Agile Scrum project management for your work, here are some steps you can take to create a project backlog:

Identify Your Project Goals

Before you start creating a backlog, it's essential to define the project goals that you want to achieve. Determine what you're trying to accomplish, who your target audience is, and how you plan to measure success.

Break Down the Project into User Stories

In strict Agile Scrum, you would identify the different tasks that need to be completed to achieve the project goals and write them as user stories. Each user story should be short, simple, and focused on delivering value to the customer. If you have modified this for marketing teams, you would break larger projects into smaller tasks or projects that can be completed in the sprint.

Prioritize the User Stories

Once you have a list of projects, mini-projects, tasks, oruser stories, prioritize them based on their importance to the project goals. The most critical tasks should be at the top of the backlog. If you are using a kanban board, put the most important items at the top of the sprint’s column.

Read more about getting started, including using kanban boards, in this blog post >

Estimate the Effort Required for Each User Story

As a team, estimate the amount of time and effort required to complete each user story. This will help you to prioritize the work and plan sprints (periods of time in which the team works on a set of user stories). Many teams use the “sizing” approach, sometimes called Scrum poker, to assign a numeric value to each project or user story. Generally, it is good to use fibonacci numbers.

Review and Update the Backlog Regularly

As the projects progress, review and update the backlog regularly to ensure that it remains up-to-date and reflects the team's priorities. Adjust the backlog as needed to reflect changes in project goals or new information that becomes available.

Creating a project backlog is an iterative process that requires collaboration and communication within the marketing team. By breaking the project down into user stories, prioritizing the work, and planning sprints, the team can work together to achieve the project goals.

*The first draft of this blog post was written by ChatGPT