How can we visualize backlog issues in one project for two boards

[Bart van Leeuwen]

We are setting up one Kanban board and one Sprint in one project that uses one workflow. The input is the backlog. The backlog for Kanban is new input, and for the sprint the issues that were finalized in Kanban.

The issues finalized in Kanban need to be in the backlog for the Sprint as there they will be selected to pick up in the current sprint. We cannot have all issues automatically being addressed "To do" in the Sprint and also do not want to see all Kanban issues in the Sprint backlog.

[Bart van Leeuwen]

Thanks for drilling into this @John Funk as we have been working towards a newer version and started testing this solution.

We are testing with functionality of a second backlog like function. It all starts with creating in the Design Backlog, after the design is ready for being build we move these to the TO-Do phase where the Build team can pick these up and add them in their sprint when it's time. It looks like this:

[John Funk]

Looks good - we have started using something similar for our upstream/ideation process (your left side) and downstream/execution (your right side)

[Bart van Leeuwen]

It's another way to look at a process, but visualization makes it more clear what's happening. And when. We understand not only how we want to work, but also can explain why we do it this way. Which helps heaps in onboarding as well!

[John Funk]

Hi Bart,

I am not sure I completely follow you, but see if this helps.

Boards just show cards in a visual aspect based on some factors like Project and Status (an maybe some others). Where the card appears on the board (which column) is based on the Status. 

So it doesn't matter where the card was created or what the components or labels or any of that are - just the status. 

So, I don't understand what you mean by "finalized in Kanban". It's just a board. The real questions are what status is the card in? And which one do you want it to be in? That determines a lot. 

[Bart van Leeuwen]

Hi @John Funk thanks for the reply on this. 

Indeed the status is included in a board or not. What we are facing is the following. We have a project where we identified a Design and a Build phase.

Cards flow through the Design (Kanban Board), then they return to a backlog where the Build team picks them up in sprints. But not all cards are automatically picked up, they are selected for a specific sprint. 

The backlog is shared, but only cards that have been designed can be selected for the Build sprints.

So the question is around how to handle a shared backlog.

[John Funk]

Well, I guess I will voice my opinion first, haha. I think it is a terrible idea to move the cards back to the backlog after they have left it and started down their workflow path. 

I would think it would be better to have another status such as Ready for Sprint or something like that as it comes out of the Design and is ready.

Otherwise, I would (if you have two boards which it sounds like you do), modify the Sprint board filter to exclude cards that have not been through Design. 

It would look something like: 

Project = ABC and status was in (Design) order by ASC