Some of you replied to the I hate backlogs email asking basically what should you use instead.
As you can imagine, I have ideas. I'll spend the next few emails exploring a few that might make sense for you as well. If at the end of all this you still prefer backlogs, write back and let me know why.
Here's my first idea.
Skip the list altogether and fix-on-touch.
You don't need a separate list at all. When you touch a component or a page, fix the accessibility issues in it. This way, issues get resolved organically as your product evolves.
There's only one requirement to this plan. You must add accessibility to the definition of done. Accessibility becomes part of shipping, not a separate workstream. It won't block ongoing work because you're already working on the code and it's much easier to fix things when you're in the right context.
As opposed to a backlog, there is no noise, no stale tickets and no need to groom anything.
There's one disadvantage.
It's pretty slow and some parts of the product might never be accessible. Untouched legacy components can sit broken for years. It also puts pressure on developers to know what "accessible" means. That's not always a given, so some training will be required.
It's not my preferred alternative to backlogs, but still better than that graveyard.