Raw

Subject: Next sprint should go to the defect backlog — it's now costing us customers and deals

Alex,

You set the next sprint's focus, and the backlog question has become a business question. Incoming defects have outpaced fixes for months, and on the current trend the backlog keeps growing for at least the next year. I recommend dedicating the next sprint to reducing it, for three reasons:

1. **Defects are driving churn.** CX and Research both tie defect exposure to customer departures; churn tracks defect volume, and a customer interview tells the same story.
2. **The gap compounds.** New defects arrive faster than we close them; every sprint we defer, the backlog — and the projection — gets worse.
3. **It's now hitting revenue and brand.** User posts and a complaint from a major account are public, and Sales reports these concerns are making deals harder to close.

Decision needed: confirm the next sprint goes to backlog reduction.

```mermaid
flowchart TD
    A["Dedicate next sprint to the defect backlog"] --> B1["Defects drive churn"]
    A --> B2["Backlog gap compounds"]
    A --> B3["Revenue and brand damage"]
    B1 --> C11["CX/Research data, churn vs. defects, interview"]
    B2 --> C21["Incoming > fixed, 1-year projection"]
    B3 --> C31["User posts, major-account complaint, Sales close rates"]
```