Topics backlog
The topics backlog is a running list of things you want to discuss with a direct report — but haven’t necessarily tied to a specific meeting yet. Think of it as a shared parking lot for ideas, concerns, and conversation starters.
What topics are for
Topics are lightweight and intentionally unstructured. You might add a topic when:
- Something comes up between meetings that you don’t want to forget
- You see a pattern in feedback signals and want to discuss it
- You want to revisit a conversation from a previous meeting
- You have a development idea or opportunity to share
Topics don’t have due dates, steps, or owners — they’re just things to discuss. If something needs tracking over time with milestones, use a goal instead.
Adding a topic
From a direct report’s profile, go to the Topics section and click Add topic. Enter a short title and any optional context you want to remember when you bring it up.
You can also add topics directly from the Feedback tab. Use the Use this signal button on a feedback response and select Discuss soon or Save for later to create a topic automatically.
New topics vs. older ones
Topics added in the last seven days show a small amber dot to indicate they’re recent. This helps you notice newly added items at a glance when you’re planning an upcoming meeting.
Moving topics to a meeting
Topics don’t automatically appear on your meeting agenda — you choose when to include them. Use the Meeting Planner to drag topics from the backlog onto an upcoming meeting’s plan. Once a topic is covered in a meeting, you can mark it as addressed and it moves out of the active backlog.
See Meeting planner for how the planning view works.
Keeping the backlog useful
A backlog that grows without pruning loses its value. A good habit is to spend a minute before each meeting reviewing the backlog and picking one or two topics to prioritize. Anything that’s been sitting untouched for several weeks can be deleted, or converted into a goal if it’s something worth tracking long-term.