Project Backlog

A task at backlog status is proposed work nobody has committed to yet — most often synced in by an automation like Triage GitHub issues. It lives in the leftmost lane on the Board and the top section on the List, using the same card, detail sheet, status picker, and assignee picker as every other status. Task automation covers what happens once a task reaches To do and enters the assignment loop.

A synced task

Triage GitHub issues proposes one task per actionable open issue, keyed to the issue so a later sync never double-creates it: the title is #<number> <title> — for example #482 Login button misaligned on Safari — the description opens with the issue's own GitHub URL, and its labels mirror the issue's GitHub labels. A task you create from the board with the default status starts at To do; set Backlog in the create form when you want to file a proposal yourself.

Moving work forward

There are no backlog-only buttons. Drag a card to another lane, open the detail sheet and pick a new status, or assign an owner — the same paths you use for To do or In progress. Agent auto-assignment and assignment suggestions run only when a task is at To do, not while it sits in Backlog. If you move a proposal straight to In progress or assign it by hand, you are taking ownership yourself.

Dismiss a proposal the same way you close any task: set status to Cancelled in the picker. A human cancellation sticks — a later GitHub sync does not resurrect a proposal you rejected while the issue stays open on GitHub. When an issue was Done on the board and someone reopens it on GitHub, sync moves the task back to Backlog.

Where this fits

Backlog is the intake column between an automation proposing work and your team committing to it. The natural next read is Task automation for what happens at To do, or Built-in automations for what proposes tasks in the first place.