Ideas — Inbox & Zone 1 · Discovery

PushBackLog uses a dual-view model for ideas:

• Inbox — a global triage queue for ideas that haven’t been assigned to a project yet.
• Zone 1 · Discovery (per project) — a project-scoped idea list for ideas that are being actively explored within a specific project.

The Inbox

The Inbox is found in the sidebar under your global navigation. It shows every idea that has not yet been assigned to a project.

Use the Inbox as a capture zone: jot down raw opportunities and observations without needing to know which project they belong to yet. Later, triage each idea by assigning it to the right project.

Capturing a new inbox idea

1. Click Inbox in the sidebar.
2. Click New idea (or the + button on mobile).
3. Enter a title and any initial notes — ideas deliberately start with low structure.
4. Click Create.

The new idea lands in the Inbox with status New.

Assigning an idea to a project

Each idea card in the Inbox has a folder icon (Assign to project) button in its top-right corner.

1. Click the folder icon on the idea card.
2. A dropdown lists all your projects.
3. Select the target project — the idea moves to that project’s Zone 1 · Discovery immediately.
4. A toast confirms: “Idea moved to [Project name]”.

The idea disappears from the Inbox and appears in the project’s Zone 1 list.

Creating a new project from an idea

If no suitable project exists yet:

1. Click the folder icon on the idea card.
2. Choose + Create new project at the bottom of the dropdown.
3. Complete the new project form.
4. After the project is created, the idea is automatically linked to it.
5. You land on the new project’s Zone 1 · Discovery page with the idea already there.

Project Zone 1 · Discovery

Every project has its own Zone 1 · Discovery section — a list of ideas linked to that project.

Accessing a project’s idea list

1. Open any project from the Projects page or the sidebar.
2. In the project sidebar, click the Lightbulb icon or the Zone 1 · Discovery label.
3. The project-scoped idea list opens.

Creating an idea directly in a project

1. On the Zone 1 · Discovery page, click New idea.
2. The idea is automatically linked to the project on creation.
3. It does not appear in the Inbox — it goes directly into Zone 1.

Discovery Sessions

A discovery session is an AI-facilitated 1:1 conversation that helps you explore and shape an idea before it becomes backlog items.

Starting a session

1. Open an idea (from either the Inbox or a project’s Zone 1 list).
2. Click Start discovery session on the idea detail page.
3. Chat with the AI product strategist. It will ask one focused question at a time, covering: problem definition, target users, scope and constraints, success criteria, technical considerations, and risks.

Project-aware AI context

When an idea is linked to a project, the discovery session AI automatically receives the project’s name, key, and description as context. This means the AI asks more targeted, domain-specific questions relevant to that project’s scope.

Generating a summary

After sufficient exploration, ask the AI to summarise. The summary includes: Problem Statement, Target Users, Proposed Solution, Scope & Constraints, Success Criteria, Risks, and Suggested Backlog Items.

Promoting to backlog items

From the session output or the idea detail page, click Create Backlog Item to promote the idea into the project backlog. The idea title, description, and summary are carried across as seed content.

Idea Statuses

Filtering & Sorting

Both the Inbox and the project Zone 1 list support:

• Status tabs — filter by New, Exploring, Shaped, Promoted, Archived, or All
• Search — search idea titles and tags
• Sort — by creation date (newest), last updated, or status

Archiving Ideas

Ideas that are out of scope or absorbed into other work can be archived via the idea detail page. Archived ideas are hidden from the default list but remain searchable.

Linking Ideas to Themes

An idea can be linked to a theme (epic) to signal that it contributes to a larger initiative. This link is visible on both the idea and the theme detail pages.