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Why-What-Acceptance Backlog Writer

Turns a feature into well-structured, testable product backlog items with strategic context

Source Download skill
Repository
phuryn/pm-skills
Stars
27,616
Licence
MIT
Files
1 file

What it does

This skill teaches the agent to write product backlog items in a Why, What, Acceptance Criteria format. Once installed, when you describe a feature, the agent breaks it into small, independent work items, each with a strategic reason, a brief description with a design link, and a few observable outcomes that show when it is done. It follows a short checklist so items stay valuable, testable, negotiable and sized for one sprint.

Great for

  • Product managers writing backlog items for an upcoming sprint or increment
  • Product owners who want to communicate strategic intent to engineering and design teams
  • Teams new to the Why-What-Acceptance format who want a consistent template

Skip it if

  • Teams that need detailed technical specifications, since the format intentionally keeps descriptions high-level and the agent will not produce them
  • Anyone expecting the agent to verify business goals or designs, since it only structures what you provide and may invent plausible-sounding acceptance criteria that need review

Try asking

  • “Break this feature into WWA backlog items: a real-time spending tracker for our budgeting app, with the Figma link and our goal to reduce overspending”
  • “Write WWA backlog items for adding single sign-on to our product, based on these assumptions about enterprise customers”
  • “Turn these meeting notes on onboarding improvements into independent, testable backlog items in WWA format”
Step-by-step guide: how to use Why-What-Acceptance Backlog WriterInstall, first run, examples, tips and FAQs

Install in 3 steps

  1. 1

    Download the skill

    The ZIP contains the 1 original files, the MIT licence and an attribution note.

    wwas.zip
  2. 2

    Add it to your agent

    Claude Code (all projects)

    mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills && unzip wwas.zip -d ~/.claude/skills/

    Claude Code / Agent SDK (this project only)

    mkdir -p .claude/skills && unzip wwas.zip -d .claude/skills/

    Claude apps (web/desktop): Settings → Capabilities → Skills → Upload skill, and choose the ZIP.

  3. 3

    Ask for the task

    No special command needed — the agent reads the skill's description and loads it when your request matches. Try one of the prompts above.

Get better results

  • Provide the product name, the feature, design links and key assumptions up front so the Why section reflects real strategy rather than guesses
  • Review generated acceptance criteria against your own definition of done, since they are described as high-level and may need tightening
  • Ask the agent to check that the resulting items are independent and sized for one sprint before sharing them with the team

What's inside

  • SKILL.md

Redistributed unmodified from phuryn/pm-skills under the MIT licence. The assessment was drafted with AI from the skill's files on 2026-10-29. Skills can instruct your agent to run code — read SKILL.md and any scripts before installing.