| name | backlog-review |
| version | 3.0.1 |
| description | Execute comprehensive backlog review. Analyzes story quality, Definition of Ready compliance, dependencies, zombie stories, and generates a backlog health report. |
| trigger | manual |
| depends-on | [] |
| references | [] |
| disable-model-invocation | true |
| user-invocable | true |
| allowed-tools | Read, Glob, Grep |
backlog-review
Execute comprehensive backlog review:
1. Load Current State
Read these files:
- @docs/reference/BACKLOG_INDEX.md (backlog overview)
- docs/reference/backlog/E##-name.md (epic files as needed)
- @docs/reference/PRD_SUMMARY.md (requirements overview, if exists)
- @docs/progress.md (completed work)
2. Theme Coverage Analysis
Map each epic to requirements:
| Epic | Requirements Covered | Coverage % | Gap Analysis |
Priority Validation
- Are high-priority items truly high-value?
- Are dependencies properly ordered?
- Any blocked items that should be deprioritized?
Scope Assessment
- Stories that exceed original scope
- Features creeping in without justification
- Non-goals being violated
3. Story Quality Scan
For each non-done story, validate against the Definition of Ready checklist:
| Criterion | Check |
|---|
| Title clear and specific | Describes the change, not the problem |
| Type assigned | One of: feature, bugfix, refactor, spike, infra, testing, docs, security, performance, skill |
| Size classified | TRIVIAL, SMALL, STANDARD, LARGE, or XL. Flag for splitting only when the story spans unrelated topics — file count is not a threshold. See the cohesion test in ideate/references/story-template.md |
| Cohesion test passed | Splitting the story would create artificial seams, not two meaningful pieces |
| 3-7 acceptance criteria | Each testable and specific; LARGE/XL may exceed 3-7, grouped under sub-headings. No "should be fast" or "handle errors properly" |
| Verification commands | Exact commands that prove completion |
| Out of scope defined | At least one explicit exclusion |
| Affected files listed | Proportionate to size, not capped at a fixed number |
| Pattern references | "Follow patterns in [file]" where applicable |
| Dependencies resolved | No unresolved blockers |
| No ambiguous language | No vague terms, all criteria measurable |
|
