How do you enable a Kanban backlog on an existing project?

[Justin Rau]

I have an existing Project using a Kanban board. I'd like to enable the backlog feature. When I go to enable it within project settings I get a message saying to enable the backlog for the board, not the project. I can't find any board level settings to enable a backlog.

[Trudy Claspill · Accepted solution]

Hello @Justin Rau 

Welcome to the community.

Boards are just a method to view and manipulate issues in projects. A Backlog is part of the configuration of the board, not the projects/issues that the board displays.

You just need to enable the Backlog view for the board, not for projects.

[Justin Rau]

How and where can I do that? My board settings don't show features the way projects does

[Trudy Claspill]

Are you working with a Kanban board for a Team Managed project or a Company Managed project? It will specify that at the bottom of the navigation pane on the left.

The implementation of agile boards for the two types of projects has some significant differences.

If the board is for a Team Managed project, then you enable the backlog under Project Settings > Features.

If the board is for a Company Managed project, then you specify it under Board Settings...

...then select Columns.

The Backlog for a Company Managed project board and the Backlog for a Team Managed project board are configured and managed differently.

In a Team Managed project board, when you activate the Backlog you will see that it is not based on the Status of the issue. Issues in any status can be in either the Backlog or on the Board.

In a Company Managed project board, the issues in the Backlog are placed there based exclusively on their Status, and issues in that Status don't show in the column/board view. They show only in the Backlog screen. To put them "on the board" you have to change the issue status to one that is mapped to a board-view column.

So, with a Company Managed project board, you drag a status from the board column to the Backlog section to designate that issues in that status are considered to be "in the backlog".

And that column that no longer has any mapped statuses will not show in the board-view.

The issues in the To Do status show only in the Backlog section of the Backlog screen.

[Justin Rau]

Perfect, thank you!!

[Trudy Claspill]

If the information provided answered your question, please mark the Answer as Accepted. Thank you.

[Jovana Jakovljević]

Hi, when trying to drag and drop TO DO status to backlog, as described above, nothing happens.

Is there another way to do this?

[Trudy Claspill]

Hello @Jovana Jakovljević 

You need to grab the status card and drag it over, not the column header. See the red arrow.

[Jovana Jakovljević]

Thank you Trudy, that helped!

[Miriam Hopton]

Thank you @Trudy Claspill !! This solved my mystery of "where is the 'backlog' option from our kanban software project. Simple status update, whoo hoo! I wouldn't have guessed that. Thank you and love this community for sharing 411. 

[Justin Rau]

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