Scrum PBI is all about the items which form the product backlog. It is nothing but the functionality that is pending delivery to a product. In this blog let us understand all details related to PBI including what is included in it, who is the owner of it, how to use it effectively, and some of the examples.
All these can be practically learned from a scrum certification course with live examples. The scrum team needs to understand this very term to work effectively.
What is a Scrum PBI
The subset of a product increment is a PBI and it focuses on the product solution. A good PBI will lie in the solution space and not the product space. PBIs are ordered based on the value aspiration and cost.
In simple words, it is the task that must be completed during every sprint and it should be a small increment allowing the team to complete it in one sprint itself. There cannot be a backlog allowed on PBI therefore ensure to choose the ones that can be completed within the timebound sprint period.
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What All Come Under Product Backlog Item
- The project specifications
- Requirement
- All the use case
- Epics
- Bugs
- Time bounded research works
Also Read: Scrum Master vs Product Owner
Qualities of a Scrum PBI
- Every item must describe the goal of its presence in the project
- The product owner must be able to determine the business value
- The team must be able to estimate the effort that is required to be taken to shift the status of the item to DONE.
- The PBI must have a relative value so that the product owner can prioritize it
Also Read: What is One Accountability of a Scrum Master?
High-Level Product Backlog Item Example
Anything that contributes to the changes to be incorporated in the product is called the PBI and let us find some examples of high-level PBIs here.
- That which enhances the product scalability
- Which simplifies the product installation process?
- PBIs that let the user make use of the product in multiple OS and systems.
The above examples clearly explain that PBIs must be highly scalable and thus a PO must work towards making the PBI look clear. This will help the developer to streamline the focus and work upon.
What Makes a Good PBI?
Not every task deserves a place in the backlog. A well-written PBI has four defining qualities:
- Clear purpose — every item must describe why it exists in the project.
- Business value — the Product Owner must be able to point to the value it delivers.
- Estimable effort — the team must be able to size the work needed to move it to "Done."
- Relative priority — it must carry a value the PO can rank against other items.
High-Level Product Backlog Item Example
Anything that changes the product qualifies as a PBI. A few high-level examples:
- Something that improves product scalability
- Something that simplifies the installation process
- Something that lets the user run the product across multiple OS/systems
A good PO keeps these items scalable and unambiguous so developers can focus on execution rather than guesswork.
Also Read: Scrum Master Career
Types of Scrum PBI with Example
In the section below you can find the different types of PBI with an example for better understanding.
1. Feature / Function PBI – Imagine as a CSR you want to create all customer issues to manage them one at a time.
2. Change enhancement – This will help you as a CSR to display your name in the ticket in the place of the number to help you quickly know the work assigned for you.
3. Defect PBI – This PBI is created to not lose any customer ticket if there is a special character found in their tickets.
You can find more examples in the image given below
Who Owns the PBIs?
Ownership of a Scrum PBI is often misunderstood — writing an item and owning it are two different responsibilities.
- The Product Owner (PO) owns the product backlog and every PBI in it. The PO decides what goes in, what gets prioritized, and what gets removed. Ownership here means accountability for value and order — not necessarily authorship.
- Anyone on the team can propose or draft a PBI — stakeholders, developers, or the Scrum Master can flag a bug, idea, or requirement. But it's the PO who reviews, accepts, and places it in the backlog with the right priority.
- The Development Team owns the "how." Once a PBI is pulled into a sprint, the team owns the technical approach, estimation, and delivery.
- The Scrum Master owns the process, not the content — ensuring backlog refinement happens and the team has clarity to work on well-formed items.
In short: the PO owns what goes into the backlog and in what order; the team owns how it gets built.
PBI Lifecycle
A Product Backlog Item doesn't appear fully formed — it moves through a predictable lifecycle before it's marked "Done":
- Identification — An idea, requirement, bug, or stakeholder request is captured as a candidate PBI.
- Backlog Entry — The PO logs it in the product backlog, even in rough form.
- Refinement (Grooming) — The PO, with input from the team, clarifies the item, breaks large items into smaller ones, and adds acceptance criteria.
- Estimation — The Development Team sizes the effort (story points, T-shirt sizes, etc.).
- Prioritization — The PO orders the item against other PBIs based on value, cost, and risk.
- Sprint Planning — A ready, well-defined PBI is pulled into a sprint backlog.
- Development & Testing — The team builds and validates the item during the sprint.
- Done — The item meets the team's Definition of Done and is potentially shippable.
A PBI can move backward in this lifecycle too — for example, if refinement reveals it's too large, it gets split and re-enters estimation.
Scrum PBI Vs User stories
There is always confusion between a user story and PBI which we will explain for a detailed understanding.
| Scrum PBI | User Stories |
| It is a single element of work inside a product backlog. | It is a collection of elements which when put together can meet the end-user need |
| User story cannot be written in the form of PBI | PBI can be written in the form of user stories |
| PBIs can be a use case, bugs, epics, or user stories | A user story is an element that is a collection of a set of all elements working towards building the end product |
Who Refines Scrum PBI and How
The product owner is responsible to refine the product backlog items. They need not create the backlogs but will help the team and SM to define the items to estimate them correctly. Therefore PO is the chief person who works on backlog refinement.
Step one is to create a big PBI based on the high-level requirement and then break them down into smaller items as user stories. Then these user stories are prioritized to allow them to do a particular sprint and help teamwork on it.
That is why we differentiated that PBI is not a user story but much more than that. User stories can be written by anyone but a PO is required to prioritize and refine PBI.
Product backlog consists of user stories, spikes, defects, and technical stories in short. It is the backbone of every scrum project
Also Read: PMP vs Scrum
What is the Use of a Scrum PBI
- It helps the developer to choose the top priority work and get going. It gives clarity and hence speeds up the work process
- It will allow the team to feel glad that they are working in the right direction to meet the end goal of the customer.
- Further, it makes the team schedule as well as quantifies the separate elements and completes all during every sprint.
Enroll in a scrum master certification course to know more uses of PBI and how it differs from a user story.
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Conclusion
If you love to know more about backlog and PBI, then you must sign up for a scrum certification course. It is not just meant for scrum masters. Every individual who has started to work on agile methodology must know about the practices and processes of the Scrum framework. Thus you should take part in the CSM certification course not only for a certificate but for detailed knowledge about the sprint, backlog, etc commonly referred to as work on projects without any hindrances.
FAQs
1. What information should be included in a Scrum Product Backlog Item (PBI)?
A well-formed PBI typically includes a clear description of the work, the business value it delivers, acceptance criteria, and an estimate of effort once refined.
2. Who creates Product Backlog Items in Scrum?
Anyone — stakeholders, developers, or the Scrum Master — can propose a PBI, but the Product Owner is accountable for accepting, refining, and prioritizing it in the backlog.
3. What is the difference between a Product Backlog Item and a Sprint Backlog Item?
A Product Backlog Item lives in the full product backlog and may or may not be scheduled yet. Once the team pulls it into a sprint during Sprint Planning, it becomes part of the Sprint Backlog.
4. How does a Product Owner prioritize Product Backlog Items?
The PO ranks items based on business value, cost of delay, risk, and dependencies, ordering the backlog so the highest-value, most sprint-ready items sit at the top.
5. Can a Scrum Product Backlog Item contain multiple user stories?
A single PBI is usually one item, but larger PBIs (like epics) are broken down into multiple smaller user stories during refinement so they fit within a sprint.
6. What makes a good Product Backlog Item in Scrum?
A good PBI has a clear purpose, an identifiable business value, an estimable size, and a priority relative to other items in the backlog.
7. What happens if a Product Backlog Item is too large to complete in one sprint?
It gets split into smaller PBIs during backlog refinement until each piece is small enough for the team to realistically complete within a single sprint.
8. Are bugs considered Product Backlog Items in Scrum?
Yes. Bugs, along with epics, use cases, requirements, and user stories, are all valid types of Product Backlog Items.
9. How often should Product Backlog Refinement happen in Scrum?
Most teams refine the backlog continuously or in short weekly sessions, rather than as a single big event — this keeps items ready ahead of Sprint Planning.
10. What are common mistakes teams make while creating Product Backlog Items?
Common mistakes include writing PBIs that are too large for a sprint, skipping clear acceptance criteria, mixing solution details into requirements too early, and letting the PO refine items without team input on estimability.
