How do we balance feature delivery with a 20–30% modernization allocation?

Make it a hard constraint in planning. Track modernization capacity like a feature line item, not as “spare time.” If product needs to borrow it, require a payback in the next sprint/PI. Publish capacity adherence so leaders feel the trade-offs.

What if we don’t have mature SLOs or error budgets yet?

Start with simple, business-linked proxies: checkout success rate, API 99p latency, page load time. Set targets and measure burn relative to those. Backfill formal SLOs over 1–2 quarters; don’t wait to start the loop.

Won’t WSJF/RICE scoring slow us down?

It speeds you up by preventing endless debate. Keep the rubric light (1–5 scales) and timebox scoring to 3 minutes per item in the weekly triage.

How do we avoid the backlog becoming a graveyard?

Enforce the 72-hour SLA to create and score items, allocate capacity every sprint, and publish a monthly risk burn-down. Close items that don’t move metrics within two cycles and revisit the approach.

Culture · Oct 3, 2025 · 9 minute read

The Incident Review Loop That Funds Your Modernization Backlog (Without Stopping Delivery)

Turn every post-incident review into prioritized, funded modernization work within 72 hours—using rituals your org can actually run and metrics your CFO will respect.

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The Incident Review Loop That Funds Your Modernization Backlog (Without Stopping Delivery)

Key takeaways

Implementation checklist