Planning
Create backlog items, estimate work, assign teams, and track delivery across views.
The planning module is where you define how to build it. Backlog items (PBIs) are units of work linked to requirements, estimated, and assigned to teams.
Backlog Items
A PBI represents a deliverable piece of work. Create them via the quick-add row, the edit dialog, or the AI Planning Advisor.
Each PBI has:
- Title and optional description
- Status — Refining Requirements → Ready for Planning → In Progress → Done
- Estimate — S, M, L, or XL (T-shirt sizing)
- Team — which team is responsible
- Release — a label like "v1.0" or "Sprint 23"
- Planned dates — start and end timestamps for timeline planning
Linking Requirements
PBIs connect to requirements through a many-to-many link. Click a PBI to see its linked requirements, or search and add more. This traceability means you can always see which requirements a PBI implements — and which requirements have no PBI yet.
Delegation
A well-structured PBI — with linked requirements that have clear rules and resolved questions — can be assigned to a human team or delegated to an AI agent for implementation. Structure is what makes this possible.
Estimation
Skald uses T-shirt sizes instead of story points:
| Size | Meaning |
|---|---|
| S | Small, well-understood, minimal risk |
| M | Moderate scope and complexity |
| L | Large, some uncertainty |
| XL | Very large or high uncertainty — consider splitting |
If something is XL, that's a signal to break it down. The AI Planning Advisor can help suggest splitting strategies.
Dependencies
PBIs can depend on each other. The most common type is finish-to-start (A must complete before B starts). Dependencies show as arrows in the Gantt view. Keep chains short — prefer parallel work when possible.
Views
Three ways to see your backlog:
| View | Best for |
|---|---|
| Table | Bulk editing, sorting, filtering, drag-reorder |
| Kanban | Visual workflow, daily standups, tracking flow |
| Gantt | Timeline planning, dependency visualization, release coordination |
All views share the same data — changes in one appear everywhere.
Team Overview
The Team Overview page (/teams) shows a selected team's workload across projects. PBI cards display status, release, estimate, and linked requirements. Filter by status or release to focus on what matters. Use it during standups or capacity reviews.