To start with any project, there is a need to have a backlog, it might not be perfect but at LEAST it provides a starting point for the teams. There are challenges if we don’t have a proper backlog, which can be, backlog consisting of very BIG items or sometimes the items do not DEFINE the exact deliverable and miss on the details. Hence, there is a need to keep it healthy,  so that it can be used by the teams to openly SEE what is next, what it can be worked upon, and what they have to plan for the future. 

A healthy backlog has 1–2 sprints of work ready to go for the team to work on which should include tech debt, bugs, and new feature work. The backlog should be VISIBLE to all the team members and everyone in the team should be encouraged to contribute so that nothing gets missed, like, new additions the team feels can add value to the client or any tools the team wants to replace to increase productivity and capability. Most importantly, a healthy product backlog is regularly ordered and prioritized. The product owner has to keep the pile of items in a ready state which can be defined under the definition of ready.