Backlog — How-tos & Workflows
Step-by-step guides for the most common Backlog workflows
Creating a Feature
Option A: Directly in the Backlog
The most straightforward way to add a Feature is directly from the Backlog.
- Navigate to the Backlog from the left-hand navigation.
- Click the Add Feature button (or equivalent entry point in the backlog).
- Enter a Feature Name. This is the only required field — you can save immediately and add more detail later.
- Optionally add a Description. The more context you provide, the better any AI-generated documents will be.
- Save the Feature. It now appears in your backlog.
Option B: From a Roadmap
If you're building out a Roadmap and a new idea comes to mind, you can type it directly into the Roadmap entry field. When you do, Lodestone automatically adds it to the Backlog as well. No extra step required.
Option C: From an Extract
When you accept an Extract — an AI-identified idea surfaced from a meeting transcript — it automatically becomes a Feature. The Feature Name and Description are carried over from the Extract.
Tip: Don't wait until you have full context to create a Feature. Lodestone is designed for ideas to start lightweight and grow richer over time. A name is enough to preserve the signal.
Importing Features from CSV
If you have a list of Features in a spreadsheet, you can import them directly into the Backlog using a CSV file.
- Navigate to the Backlog from the left-hand navigation.
- Select the import option from the Backlog toolbar.
- Upload your CSV file.
- In the field mapping step, match each column in your CSV to the corresponding Lodestone field — Name, Description, Status, or evaluation inputs.
- Confirm the mapping. Features are added to your backlog immediately.
Tip: The only required mapping is Feature Name. Description is optional but recommended — Features imported with a description are ready for AI document generation without additional editing.
Note: CSV import creates new Features only — it does not update existing ones. Importing a file with a name that already exists in your backlog will create a duplicate.
Editing and Enriching a Feature
To open a Feature's detail view, click its name anywhere it appears in the backlog.
From the Feature Detail page you can:
- Edit the Feature Name and Description
- Update the Feature's Status
- Enter evaluation scores (Value, Effort, or whichever framework your team uses)
- Generate and manage Documents for this Feature (PRD, Opportunity Canvas, User Stories, and more)
- Build a Financial Forecast for this Feature — modeling expected costs, revenue impact, and ROI
- Link parent objects (including Goals) using the Parents field in the sidebar
The Feature Detail page is organized into tabs. The first tab contains the core Feature information and Documents. The second tab, Financial Forecast, is where you create and manage financial models.
There's no required sequence — enrich a Feature however and whenever it makes sense.
Linking a Parent Object
The Parents field in the Backlog item detail sidebar lets you connect any item to a parent in the object hierarchy — including a Goal.
To add a parent:
- Open the item detail page by clicking the item's name in the Backlog.
- Find the Parents field in the sidebar.
- Click the search field that appears and type to search for the parent object by name.
- Select the parent from the results. It appears as a chip showing the typed ID and name.
You can add multiple parents if the item contributes to more than one Goal or parent object.
To remove a parent:
Click the × on any parent chip. The connection is removed immediately.
Note: If your organization has configured parent/child type constraints in Settings > Taxonomy, the search picker filters to only show objects of types that are allowed as parents for this item's type. If you see fewer results than expected, this is why.
Updating Feature Status
Feature status can be updated in several places:
- From the Backlog — inline status change
- From the Feature Detail page
- From a Release board — drag the Feature card to a new column
Regardless of where you update it, the change propagates everywhere. A status update in a Release is reflected in the backlog, and vice versa.
Important: Status stages are configured globally in Settings. If you need a stage that doesn't exist yet (e.g. "In Review" or "Blocked"), an admin can add it there.
Scoring and Evaluating Features
Evaluation fields appear on the Feature Detail page. Which fields are shown depends on the evaluation framework configured in Settings.
Entering scores
- Open the Feature Detail page by clicking the Feature name.
- Locate the evaluation section (typically on the right side or below the description).
- Enter values for each scoring input (e.g. Reach, Impact, Confidence, Effort for RICE).
- Lodestone calculates the composite score automatically.
Scores appear in the Backlog, where you can sort and compare Features by their evaluation results.
Changing your evaluation framework
You can switch evaluation frameworks at any time in Settings. This changes which fields are displayed — it doesn't delete previously entered scores or alter what the Feature represents.
Adding a Feature to a Roadmap
- Open the Roadmap you want to add the Feature to.
- In the item entry field, start typing the Feature name.
- Select it from the dropdown that appears — this links the existing Feature rather than creating a duplicate.
- Position it in the hierarchy using drag-and-drop nesting.
A Feature can be added to multiple Roadmaps. There is no limit.
Adding a Feature to a Release
- Open the Release you want to populate.
- Use the Feature dropdown to select Features from your backlog.
- Selected Features appear as cards in the Kanban board under their current status column.
Like Roadmaps, Features can belong to multiple Releases simultaneously.
Generating Documents for a Feature
Lodestone can generate a range of written artifacts directly from a Feature. See the Documents module guide for full detail, but the quick workflow is:
- Open the Feature Detail page.
- Scroll to or navigate to the Documents section.
- Choose a document type (e.g. PRD, Opportunity Canvas, User Stories).
- Click Generate. Lodestone uses the Feature Name, Description, and your Organization Description to produce a first draft.
- Review and edit the output — all generated content is fully editable.
Tip: The quality of AI-generated documents is directly tied to the richness of your Feature Description. A one-sentence description produces a thin document. A well-written paragraph produces a much more useful draft.
Viewing and Managing Quotes on a Feature
When a quote from an Extract or imported transcript is associated with a Feature, it appears in the Quotes section of the Feature Detail page. Quotes link product decisions back to real customer conversations.
Each quote displays:
- The quote text
- Company name, speaker name, and revenue (where available from the source)
- A source badge indicating its origin (Gong, Fireflies, Manual, or Intel Report)
Editing a quote
Click directly on any quote field to edit the text, company name, or speaker in place.
Deleting a quote
Click the delete icon on a quote to remove it from the Feature. Deletion is permanent — the quote is removed from this Feature's quote library and cannot be recovered.
Deleting a Feature
Deleting a Feature is permanent. When a Feature is deleted, it is removed from any Roadmaps, Releases, or Strategies it belonged to. Associated Documents are deleted along with it.
Warning: There is no undo. If you delete a Feature by mistake, you will need to recreate it manually.
Next: Advanced & Customization — object types, evaluation frameworks, and power-user options.