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Help with Kanban Backlog Management

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Level 2
Hi all - I'm trying to convert my team workflow over to Kanban, and I need a little help in how to go about this: Backlog view - this is a giant mess since it doesn't appear to be possible to group the backlog by project/parent task/anything. Is there some better way to set that up so we can actually groom it? What about searching or reporting? Can I pull a report of tasks or issues that are backlogged? My concern is missing tasks in the backlog that need to be worked but aren't on the board. (I can pull by status, but that doesn't ensure they're on the board) Is there a way to move a task out of the backlog and into the Kanban board without going to the team board or backlog views? Is it possible to just have tasks that move into an active status to end up on the board without having to specifically move from the Backlog? How is the work breakdown order (1.0, 1.1, etc.) defined in the backlog? It clearly isn't based on project hierarchy and doesn't seem date-related either. Is it a useful reference somehow? Am I wrong in thinking that Kanban is a little half-baked? Should I be using Scrum iterations instead? (I'd rather not since WF seems dead set on estimation and assignment in Scrum, and I couldn't have less use for it.) Thanks for the help! Nik Engrain
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Level 1
Sorry, can't offer any help here, but I'm dipping my toes into the Kanban arena, too, and would love to read more from experienced agile users. Tim McAdams Senior Manager, Production FS Investments Philadelphia, PA

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Level 2
Hello! Thank you for the feedback. We have identified that the Kanban Backlog tab was missing filtering and grouping and will be adding those options as part of our patch release this week, which will bring it in sync with the Scrum Backlog tab. Regarding any other feature requests, please continue to work with your support representative. Thanks again! Jacob Turpin Senior Software Engineer - Workfront

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Level 2
Thanks for the quick turn on that, Jacob! I just saw those options pop up. I have one other question: How is the team backlog populated? Which tasks end up there - only ones assigned to the team? I did notice if I unassign a task from the team, it falls off of the board, but it still seems to stay in the backlog. Nik Friedman TeBockhorst Engrain

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Level 10
Yes, the Team assignment is the one and only trigger that makes it appear in the Backlogs.

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Level 2
Yes, the filter criteria for an item to appear on the Kanban backlog includes the team assignment on the task. The task's project also needs to be in a status that equates with Current, and there can't be an actual completion date on the task. Jacob Turpin Senior Software Engineer - Workfront