A backlog can look urgent even after the underlying issue has changed, been solved elsewhere, or needs a different kind of decision.
Verify before triage
An old item can look urgent simply because it is still listed. Before sorting it, check whether the underlying issue still exists in substantially the same form.
There are three useful outcomes: the issue is still true; it was already resolved or superseded; or the situation changed enough that the old item no longer describes the decision needed.
Where AI fits
AI can group similar backlog items and prepare lightweight current-evidence checks before anyone classifies or prioritizes them.
The human decision
People decide what the evidence means and whether an item should continue, close, split, or wait. AI can surface candidates, not dispose of work.
The lesson
Verification before classification prevents stale work from acquiring urgency simply because it remains visible.
The Build Log companion shows a high-value ticket that had already been resolved elsewhere and the small check that would have caught it.
AI Skills
Use this lesson with the AI assistant you already use
Verification before classification prevents stale work from acquiring urgency simply because it remains visible.
Paste the prompt, share only the context needed to answer it, and treat the result as a draft for your review. Do not include confidential information or let an AI assistant make changes without your approval.
Optional: for a visual report and saved memory, run /dxdev first.
Don’t have it? Get it at dxdev.com/skills/dxdev. The prompt works without it.
dxdev LESSON · paste into your AI agent
LESSON: 2026-04-28_verify-before-triage
WHAT TO SHARE:
A de-identified work item, current evidence, and any related work or changes that may have affected it.
ASK YOUR AGENT TO:
1. Separate confirmed facts from assumptions and unanswered questions.
2. Check whether the issue still exists in the same form.
3. Look for evidence of resolution, supersession, or changed shape.
4. Draft disposition questions for the human reviewer.
RETURN:
An item, current evidence, verification outcome, and disposition-question table.
BOUNDARY: Do not change records, contact anyone, route work, publish content, or act in an external system. A person must review the evidence and approve every consequential step.
