Product Backlog

The product backlog is a prioritized, ordered list of all features, fixes, and improvements that may be needed in a product, owned and managed by the product owner. It is a living artifact that evolves as stakeholders refine requirements and team capacity becomes clearer. Backlog refinement keeps top items detailed enough for the next sprint, while lower-priority items stay broad. On the PMP exam, distinguish it from the sprint backlog: the product backlog holds everything the product might need, while the sprint backlog holds only the subset the team commits to in a single sprint. The product owner controls the product backlog; the developers own the sprint backlog.