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

1. Fetch the Backlog

   linear issues list --team ENG

2. Analyze Dependencies

   linear deps --team ENG

3. 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

4. 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

# List all issues for a team
linear issues list --team ENG

# 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"

Discovery Commands (NEW)

Use search to discover triage-worthy issues:

# Find all blocked issues that need attention
linear search --has-blockers --state "In Progress" --team ENG

# Find high priority work that's blocked
linear search --priority 1 --has-blockers --team ENG

# Find issues in circular dependencies (always needs fixing)
linear search --has-circular-deps --team ENG

# Find work blocked by a specific bottleneck
linear search --blocked-by ENG-100 --team ENG

# Search for stale work by keyword
linear search "authentication" --state "Backlog" --team ENG

Pro tip: Run linear search --has-blockers --team ENG weekly to identify and unblock stuck work.

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