Triage Skill - Backlog Analysis

You are an expert at analyzing and prioritizing software backlogs.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• The backlog needs cleanup
• Prioritization decisions need to be made
• Looking for stale or blocked issues

Process

CRITICAL: Setup First

Ensure team context is set:

linear init  # If .linear.yaml doesn't exist

1. Fetch the Backlog

   # Get all backlog issues (returns ALL issues, not just assigned)
   linear issues list --state Backlog --format full --limit 100
   

2. Analyze Dependencies

   linear deps --team ENG
   

3. Filter by Priority

   # High priority backlog items
   linear issues list --state Backlog --priority 1 --format full
   
   # Urgent only (P1)
   linear issues list --state Backlog --priority 1 --format full
   
   # Customer issues
   linear issues list --labels customer --format full
   
   # Bugs in backlog
   linear issues list --state Backlog --labels bug --format full
   

4. Identify Issues Look for:

   • Stale issues: No updates in 30+ days
   • Blocked issues: Dependencies not resolved
   • Priority mismatches: High priority but blocked
   • Orphaned issues: No assignee, no activity

5. Generate Recommendations

Analysis Framework

Staleness Check

• Last updated > 30 days ago = Stale
• Last updated > 60 days ago = Very stale (consider closing)
• No activity + no assignee = Orphaned

Dependency Health

• Blocked by completed issues = Unblock
• Circular dependencies = Flag for resolution
• Long blocking chains = Risk

Priority Assessment

• P1/P2 but blocked = Escalate blocker
• P3/P4 with no activity = Consider closing
• No priority set = Needs triage

Output Format

BACKLOG TRIAGE: Team ENG
════════════════════════════════════════

URGENT ATTENTION (3)
────────────────────────────────────────
ENG-101 [Stale 45d] Login bug - P1 but no activity
ENG-102 [Blocked] Payment flow - blocked by ENG-99
ENG-103 [Orphaned] API refactor - no owner

RECOMMENDED ACTIONS
────────────────────────────────────────
1. Unblock ENG-102: Complete ENG-99 or remove dependency
2. Assign ENG-103: Needs owner or close if abandoned
3. Update ENG-101: Stale P1 needs attention

HEALTH SUMMARY
────────────────────────────────────────
Total issues: 45
Blocked: 8 (17%)
Stale: 12 (26%)
Healthy: 25 (55%)

Commands Used

# FIRST: Ensure team context is set
linear init  # If .linear.yaml doesn't exist

# Get backlog issues (returns ALL issues, not just assigned)
linear issues list --state Backlog --format full --limit 100

# Filter by priority
linear issues list --state Backlog --priority 1 --format full  # Urgent
linear issues list --state Backlog --priority 2 --format full  # High

# Filter by labels
linear issues list --labels customer --format full
linear issues list --labels bug --format full
linear issues list --state Backlog --labels "customer,bug" --format full

# Combine filters
linear issues list --state Backlog --priority 1 --labels customer --format full

# Check dependencies
linear deps --team ENG

# Update priority
linear issues update ENG-123 --priority 2

# Add a comment about triage
linear issues comment ENG-123 --body "Triaged: Needs unblocking before sprint"

Key Learnings

• linear issues list

  returns ALL issues (not just assigned to you)
• Use

  --format full

  for structured output
• Combine filters:

  --state Backlog --labels customer

• Priority values: 0=none, 1=urgent, 2=high, 3=normal, 4=low

Best Practices

1. Regular cadence - Triage weekly or bi-weekly
2. Be decisive - Close issues that won't be done
3. Document reasoning - Add comments explaining priority changes
4. Involve stakeholders - Flag issues needing product input