Manage Backlog Goals

Backlog goals or objectives organize work and measure progress toward strategic outcomes in Digital.ai Agility.

note

Backlog goals are also called Objectives. These terms are used interchangeably throughout Digital.ai Agility.

Who Manages Backlog Goals

• Product Owners: Create and manage backlog goals to organize work according to business priorities and track progress.
• Portfolio Managers: Define strategic objectives at the portfolio level and monitor progress across multiple projects.
• Release Train Engineers (SAFe): Manage program increment (PI) objectives and ensure alignment across teams.
• Team Members: Assign work items to backlog goals and update progress as work is completed.

Permission Requirement

To view backlog goals, you must have Read access to the Product Planning area. To create, edit, assign work items, target projects, close, reopen, export, or watch backlog goals, you must have Edit access to the Product Planning area. Deletion of backlog goals requires Admin-level permissions.

Create a Backlog Goal

Select the highest-level project in the hierarchy at which the objective is to be measured. This ensures the objective is applicable to all its lower-level projects.

From the Backlog Goals Page

1. Click the hamburger icon > Product > Backlog Goals (or Objectives).
2. Click Add Backlog Goal (or Add Objective) to the far right of the grid.
3. In the Backlog Goal or Objective window, enter details in the required fields.
4. Select the Target In Project check box if you want to focus on this backlog goal or objective in the selected project and all its sub-projects.
5. Click Save.

From the Increment Scheduling Page

You can also create backlog goals or objectives directly on the Increment Scheduling Page. Backlog goals can be created at the team or the scope (increment or PI) level. There are separate buttons for each.

Edit a Backlog Goal

1. Click the hamburger icon > Product > Backlog Goals (or Objectives).
2. Select the item you want to update, and then click Edit to the far right.
3. Update the item details and click Save.

Assign Work Items to a Backlog Goal

You can assign work items to backlog goals (also called "goals" or "objectives") to create a stronger link between the higher-level goal and the detailed work being done to achieve it. Backlog goals can be associated with any number of portfolio items, stories, defects, or test sets via a many-to-many relationship. There's no need to associate child stories of a selected portfolio item as they're automatically included in rolled-up totals for the backlog goal.

From the Backlog Goals Page

The Backlog Goals page is only available if the Backlog Goals feature is enabled in your instance. Contact your Digital.ai Agility Administrator for additional details.

1. Click the hamburger icon > Product > Backlog Goals (or Objectives).
2. Click on the backlog goal or objective to which you want to assign work items. The details page opens.
3. Click the Show Relationships button, and then scroll to the Workitems section.
4. Click the Assign button. The Workitems selection window opens to display all the items available for assignment.
5. Click Add for each work item you want to assign.

From the Increment Scheduling Page

1. Click the hamburger icon > Increment > Increment Scheduling (or PI Scheduling).
2. View the Backlog Goals (or Objectives) tab for a selected scope.
3. Click on the backlog goal or objective to which you want to assign work items. The details page opens.
4. Click the Show Relationships button, and then scroll to the Workitems section.
5. Click the Assign button. The Workitems selection window opens to display all the items available for assignment.
6. Click Add for each work item you want to assign.

From the Backlog Goal Assignment Page

The Backlog Goal Assignment page is only available if the Backlog Goals feature is enabled with the "Relate to Backlog Groups instead of Portfolio Items" option selected. Contact your Digital.ai Agility Administrator for additional details.

The Backlog Goal Assignment page is divided into two sections: Backlog Goals and Workitems. The Backlog Goals section (on the left side of the page) shows all of the backlog goals in the project or increment. The Workitems section (on the right side of the page) lists all the Backlog Groups, Backlog Items, Defects, and Test Sets that are available for assignment.

1. Click the hamburger icon > Product > Backlog Goals.
2. Drag a work item from the Workitems grid and drop it into a backlog group in the Backlog Goals section.

Note that the overall Estimate for the goal is increased by the estimate of the assigned item. Optionally, you can also drag backlog goals onto the work items that support them. When an item is assigned, both the goal or backlog goal and the work item are updated to reflect the new assignment relationship.

Target Goals to Projects

You can track objectives by targeting them to allow teams to focus on the applicable objectives designated for a specific project or release. In some cases, that's simply the high-level project in which the objective is defined, with all its lower-level projects inheriting the goal. But other situations might call for a more granular approach. You might want to change objectives from a high-level project to a lower-level project.

1. Click the hamburger icon > Product > Backlog Goals.
2. From the grid, click on an objective you want to target to one or more projects.
3. On the Backlog Goals or Objective detail page, click Show Relationships to open the Target In Project subsection.
4. In the Target In Project section, click Assign.
5. In the Target In Project window, scroll through the list and click Add for each project you want to target.
6. Click Close Window.

Adding objectives or goals from the Release Scheduling page requires that you enable the Targeted column in the grid. This column is enabled by default; however, it's possible to disable the column using the Customization option. If a new objective or goal disappears after you click Save, you'll need to re-enable the Targeted column.

Close and Reopen a Backlog Goal

You can close a backlog goal or objective only after all associated work items have been completed and all strategic objectives have been met. Closing a backlog goal or objective should not be confused with deleting a backlog goal or objective. Closing a backlog goal or objective leaves it in the system for auditing or tracking purposes, while deleting removes it entirely from the system.

Close a Goal

1. Click the hamburger icon > Product > Backlog Goals (or Objectives).
2. Click on the Summary by Project dropdown menu, and then select Close Backlog Goal (or Close Objective).

Reopen a Goal

1. Click the hamburger icon > Product > Backlog Goals (or Objectives).
2. (Optional) If the closed objectives aren't displayed in the grid, open the Filter dropdown menu, and then select Show Closed Backlog Goals (or Objectives).
3. Click on the Summary by Project dropdown menu, and select Close Backlog Goal (or Close Objective). The backlog goal or objective displays again on the grid without the strike-through.

Export Backlog Goals

You can export your objectives and save them in an Excel spreadsheet for reporting purposes. When you export objectives, you export the details of all work items and targeted projects to a spreadsheet report.

1. Click the hamburger icon > Product > Backlog Goals (or Objectives).
2. Filter the grid to show the objectives you want to include in the spreadsheet.
3. Click the wrench icon on the far right and click Export (.xls).

Watch a Backlog Goal

When you elect to "watch" an asset, Digital.ai Agility sends alert notifications when updates are made. This allows you to keep track of changes as they occur in real time.

1. Click the hamburger icon > Product > Backlog Goal (or Objective).
2. From the grid, open the Summary by Project dropdown menu at the right of the grid for the objective you want to watch.
3. Select Watch Backlog Goal (or Objective) from the list. To turn off notifications for the goal, select Stop Watching from the dropdown list.

Troubleshooting

Why can't I create a new backlog goal?

You must have Edit access to the Product Planning area. Verify your permissions with your administrator. Also ensure that the Backlog Goals feature is enabled in your system (Administration > Configuration > System).

Why can't I assign a work item to my backlog goal?

The work item may not be in a compatible project or planning level. Verify that the work item exists in a project or sub-project that's targeted by your backlog goal. If using top-down approach, ensure projects are properly targeted in the backlog goal.

Why don't I see the backlog goal I just created when I filter by project?

If you didn't target any projects when creating the backlog goal, it won't appear in project-filtered views. Edit the backlog goal and use the "Target in Project" option to assign it to relevant projects.

Why isn't the export including all my backlog goals?

The export includes only the goals visible in your current filtered view. Adjust your grid filters before exporting to include the specific set of backlog goals you want in the spreadsheet.

Related Topics

• Backlog Goals or Objectives
• View and Edit Goal Details
• Watch Assets