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

You can add a topic from several places:

  • CMD+K (or Ctrl+K) — pick “Topic”, then choose the direct report. The topic form opens in a side drawer.
  • Direct report profile — go to the Topics section and click Add topic.
  • Feedback signals — click Discuss next or Save on a signal card to open a prefilled topic form in the drawer.

When creating a topic, you can toggle Pin to next 1:1 to automatically add it to the agenda of the next scheduled meeting with that person. You can also mark a topic as recurring so it surfaces in future agenda suggestions.

Editing a topic

Click any topic to open its detail page. From there:

  • Description is editable inline — click into it and start typing. Changes save automatically.
  • The kebab menu on the topic row gives you quick actions: Edit, Pin to next 1:1, Label, Mark discussed, Archive, and Delete.

Pinning topics to meetings

You can pin a topic to the next upcoming 1:1 in several ways:

  • Toggle Pin to next 1:1 when creating a topic
  • Select Pin to next 1:1 from the kebab menu on any topic row
  • Drag the topic onto the agenda in the meeting planner

Pinned topics appear in the Used in these meetings section on the topic’s detail page. This section shows both meetings where the topic was discussed and meetings where it’s been planned — so you can see it’s queued up before the meeting even happens.

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.

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.

See Meeting planner for how the planning view works.