Big Backlogs - All Things Product Podcast with Teresa Torres & Petra Wille

Listen to this episode on: Spotify | Apple Podcasts

Drowning in Jira tickets? Wondering how to prioritize when every stakeholder has a “brilliant” idea and your roadmap is already bursting at the seams?

In this episode of All Things Product, Teresa Torres and Petra Wille tackle one of the most common pain points in product management: the giant, messy, unmanageable backlog. From auto-closing ancient tickets to reframing prioritization as filtering for impact, they share battle-tested tactics to bring order to chaos—without spinning your wheels ranking 400 items.

Whether you're inheriting a legacy product, working in a feature factory, or just trying to make smarter decisions faster, this episode offers practical, real-world advice you can apply today.

Topics Covered:

  • The problem with traditional prioritization models like ICE and RICE

  • Why “avoid prioritization at all costs” is more than just a catchy phrase

  • Comparing and contrasting vs. spreadsheet-driven guesswork

  • Tactical ways to clean up your backlog:

  • Auto-closing old tickets

  • Archiving items no one understands

  • Using themes, initiatives, and user group tagging

  • The "Inbox Zero" approach to product management

  • How to use strategic filters (outcomes + customer needs) instead of prioritizing everything

  • The importance of early wins when inheriting a new product or team

  • Time-boxed onboarding for product folks who are new to a team

  • Real-world stories & examples:

  • Petra shares how automatic ticket pruning saved hundreds of items

  • Teresa’s database “one-day project” that took a full week (and what it reveals about hidden work)

  • How to carve out time for discovery—even in a feature factory

Resources & Links:

Mentioned in the episode:

Petra Wille