Keep a dedicated backlog for items that require a governance decision, so that you can remember them and use the information to plan and organize your governance.

A governance backlog is a visible, prioritized list of items (drivers and/or requirements) relating to the governance of a domain.

A governance backlog is at the core of any reliable and transparent system for governance. Keeping a governance backlog helps with planning regular governance meetings. It’s also useful for deciding which items are best addressed in a dedicated meeting, or in other regular meetings such as product meetings, planning meetings or retrospectives.

A governance backlog contains information about:

  • matters requiring a decision
  • proposals to create and consider
  • selecting people for roles

An item in a (prioritized) governance backlog typically provides information about:

  • the driver that needs addressing (and the requirement – for drivers that have been determined as relevant and a priority)
  • the next step(s) for addressing the item (e.g. determine requirement, form a proposal, test a proposal, review an existing agreement, select someone for a role, including an estimate of the time required
  • other interdependent items (including work items), as well as any other relevant information, e.g. reference to proposals, domain descriptions, etc)
  • who added the item to the backlog (for clarification/questions)
  • a due date (if necessary)
  • a way of visualizing rank or priority (see Prioritize Backlogs).