What are the characteristics of a good Product Backlog item?

A well-formed backlog item (often a User Story) should be:

✅ INVEST:

• Independent – Can be developed separately
• Negotiable – Not a fixed contract
• Valuable – Delivers user or business value
• Estimable – Team can estimate its size
• Small – Can be completed within a Sprint
• Testable – Has clear acceptance criteria

Example:

Poor: “Fix bugs”

Better: “As a user, I want error messages when login fails, so I know why I can’t access my

account.”