- 1. Analyze the Data. Product backlog refinement starts by analyzing the data and feedback collected from target users and customers. ...
- 2. Incorporate the Findings. Once you have analyzed the feedback and the data, you have to incorporate the findings into the product backlog.
- 3. Decide what’s Next. ...
- 4. Refine the Backlog Tasks. ...
- 5. Prepare the High Priority Items. ...
- Create and Refine. In preparation of the Backlog Refinement (Grooming), the Product Owner should remove user stories that are no longer relevant and create new ones based on the Scrum Team's discoveries from the previous sprint. ...
- Estimate. ...
- Prioritize. ...
- Good Reads.
How to refine the product backlog?
Five strategies that help Scrum Teams to refine the Product Backlog: 1 Gaining insights 2 Ordering the Product Backlog 3 Estimating Product Backlog items 4 Breaking down of Product Backlog items 5 Eliminating dependencies More ...
What is backlog refinement in agile?
Return to Agile Meetings During Backlog Refinement (Grooming) the Scrum Master facilitates as the Product Owner and Scrum Team review the user stories at the top of the Product Backlog in order to prepare for the upcoming sprint. Backlog Refinement (Grooming) provides the first input to Sprint Planning.
Who can refine items on the backlog in scrum?
The Product Owner can refine items on the backlog at any time, in or outside a meeting. The Scrum Master and Development Team Members can also update items at any time. Usually under the direction of the Product Owner.
How far in advance should the team refine the product backlog?
Like many things in Scrum, the answer is, it depends. The team should avoid refining too far in advance if it’s working in a higher-risk environment involving frequent changes in technology, business needs, or other factors influencing the Product Backlog’s order and content.
WHAT IS backlog refinement example?
What Is Backlog Refinement? Product backlog refinement is the process by which the scrum team keeps its backlog in good order. Near the end of a sprint, the scrum team will meet and look over their backlog to make sure it's ready for the upcoming sprint.
What do you do during backlog refinement?
Definition. Backlog refinement (formerly known as backlog grooming) is when the product owner and some, or all, of the rest of the team review items on the backlog to ensure the backlog contains the appropriate items, that they are prioritized, and that the items at the top of the backlog are ready for delivery.
WHAT IS backlog refinement in scrum?
Product Backlog Refinement, also referred to as Product Backlog Grooming, is a method for keeping the backlog updated, clean and orderly. It is a basic process in Scrum. PBR is a collaborative discussion process which starts at the end of one sprint to confirm whether the backlog is ready for the next sprint.
Who runs backlog refinement meeting?
The backlog refinement meeting (or backlog management meeting, or backlog grooming session) usually takes place towards the end of the current sprint. Attendance varies but certainly includes the Product Owner and the meeting is often facilitated by the ScrumMaster.
Is backlog refinement a Scrum event?
Is product backlog refinement not part of scrum event? interested to know what possible reason behind it. That is correct, refinement is not a formal Scrum event because it doesn't have to happen. It is a good practice, but not always needed.
What should you not do in backlog refinement?
What to avoid with backlog refinementAsk more experienced team members to detail backlog items or provide estimates. ... Involve select team members. ... Document your decisions. ... Do not excessively detail backlog items. ... You shouldn't refine backlog items currently under development.More items...
Who leads backlog grooming?
Usually, the product manager or product owner is in charge of leading backlog grooming sessions and ensuring that they are carried out smoothly.
What is the difference between backlog refinement and sprint planning?
Sprint Planning focuses on a short time horizon, while Backlog Refinement (can) focus on a longer time horizon: a. Sprint Planning, as the name implies, focuses on work the team intends to do during the upcoming Sprint, that is, the things that will be included in the Sprint Backlog; b.
How do I prepare for backlog grooming?
As a way to prepare for your backlog grooming meeting, break down user stories into smaller tasks. As the project evolves, new needs will arise and in response, those new user stories will need to be added to the backlog.
How long should backlog refinement take?
between 45 minutes to 1 hourThere is no set time frame for a backlog refinement session. That said, it is not advised to spend excessive amounts of time on these sessions. The general consensus around the ideal length for a backlog grooming session is between 45 minutes to 1 hour. Efficiency is key with grooming sessions.
What happens in a refinement session?
A refinement session is a key meeting in Scrum where ideas are clarified so that company or team members can find a solution for a problem a customer is experiencing or a hypothesis the team members have that believe will solve a problem.
When should backlog refinement occur?
It depends on the duration of the sprint cycle. If the team is working a one-week sprint cycle, running a backlog refinement meeting every week is a recommended practice. On the other, if you are working on a two-week sprint cycle, running these meetings every alternate week should be considered.
What three things can happen when refining product backlog items?
In the movie by Henrik Kniberg, 'Agile Product Ownership in a Nutshell', three things you typically do during Product Backlog Refinement are mentioned. Slicing, estimating and writing acceptance criteria for Product Backlog items in collaboration with stakeholders..
What do you do in a backlog grooming session?
Backlog GroomingBreak down large user stories into smaller tasks.Discuss user stories with the team, answer any related questions to smooth out any ambiguity.Ensure upcoming user stories meet the team's “definition of ready” by adding key contextual information and acceptance criteria.More items...
Who attends backlog refinement?
A well-rounded grooming session should include: The backlog grooming session leader (product owner, product manager, project manager, Scrum master, or other team member) The product owner or another product team representative. The delivery team or a delivery team representative.
What is the goal of a product backlog refinement meeting?
The goal of Product Backlog refinement is to work with the Scrum Team and stakeholders (when relevant), to get Product Backlog items in a 'ready state'.
Create and Refine
In preparation of the Backlog Refinement (Grooming), the Product Owner should remove user stories that are no longer relevant and create new ones based on the Scrum Team’s discoveries from the previous sprint.
Estimate
Once the Scrum Team has refined the feature set, they should begin assigning estimates to the user stories and correcting those for any existing in light of newly discovered information. However, everyone (i.e.
Prioritize
Before the Backlog Refinement (Grooming), the Product Owner should conduct some informal backlog refinement with their subject matter experts (SMEs) and stakeholders to affirm they are focusing on the user stories with the most important business value.
Good Reads
These are good references for conducting a Backlog Refinement (Grooming):
Empiricism
Backlog Refinement doesn’t serve empiricism directly, but makes the Product Backlog (one of the three artefacts in Scrum) more transparent in terms of what is likely required to deliver the work.
What does Backlog Refinement involve?
Presents the objectives for the upcoming Sprint and how it relates to other Sprints.
About the author
Matt is the CEO of Zen Ex Machina, Professional Scrum Trainer (PST) and SAFe SPC5. He's an author, keynote speaker, and a regular presenter at international conferences across Australia, USA, Asia, and Europe.
Why is Product Backlog refinement needed?
In refinement, Product Backlog items are discussed until a shared understanding is reached. Items are broken down until the Developers are fairly confident that they can complete them within a Sprint. This gives the Product Backlog a level of transparency that reduces the risk.
5 Strategies for Product Backlog refinement
Although refinement is an essential Product Management activity, 43% of Scrum Teams do not spend time in the current Sprint to refine work for upcoming Sprints, according to the Scrum Zombie Guide. Five strategies that help Scrum Teams to refine the Product Backlog:
Gaining insights
A shared understanding of the work is established if the Scrum Team and stakeholders jointly discover insights. Hypothesis Canvas and UX Fishbowl are tools to facilitate this discovery.
Ordering the Product Backlog
Product Owners know that ordering the Product Backlog is not something they should do alone. When Scrum Teams order the Product Backlog collaborative with stakeholders, they gain new insights into what can be valuable to the product. Buy a Feature and 20/20 Vision helps Scrum Teams in ordering the Product Backlog.
Estimating Product Backlog items
The goal of estimation is to gain a shared understanding of the work in the Product Backlog, not absolute certainty about the implementation effort involved. Scrum Teams estimate Product Backlog items by having developers assign a size to them.
Breaking down Product Backlog items
Scrum Teams break down Product Backlog items so that the implementation of each item is immediately usable. This vertical breakdown ensures value to the user. Horizontal breakdowns of Product Backlog items only occur in Sprint Planning when a plan for the upcoming Sprint is created.
Eliminating dependencies
Although Scrum Teams are cross-functional, they work in a complex environment. This could lead to unforeseen dependencies. Dependencies may hinder the Product Owner from ordering the Product Backlog so that the value is maximized.
What is it?
The purpose of backlog refinement (grooming) is to make improvements to the product backlog. Though there is no official ceremony detailed in the Scrum Guide, the activity of refining the Backlog is.
When is it?
Before development of a user story in the current sprint (iteration), generally sometime during the previous 1 or 2 sprints, the team sits down to discuss the upcoming work. Do not wait too late to add details, because the delay will slow the team down. Do not refine your stories too far in advance, because the details might get stale.
Before You Begin
Top-order the product backlog to reflect the greatest needs of Management Team and the Product Owner Team
The Backlog
The product backlog can address anything deemed valuable by the Product Owner Team. For the purpose of sprint planning, when you use Scrum as the delivery framework, product backlog items must be small enough for the team to complete and accept during the sprint. Verify items are implemented to the satisfaction of the Product Owner team.
Estimate
Complete backlog items in a single sprint or split them into multiple user stories. While refining, give stories an initial estimate to see if they are small enough. If not, split them. The best way to split product backlog items is by value and not by process.
Acceptance Criteria
All stories require acceptance criteria. Without it, you can not define the boundaries of a user story and confirm when a story is done and working as intended. Ensure acceptance criteria is testable. This is what your testers should be writing tests against.
Rewrite Written Stories
If your team is new to Scrum, ensure the user story format is consistent, meet INVEST criteria, and you write from a business not technical perspective. Know who the customer is. It may not be an end user. Rather, the story may be for something like a service for another team to consume.
How do I find the right balance?
Here are two tools you can use to determine whether there is enough ready work in the Product Backlog:
Ready Story Forecast
PBIs are ready to be pulled into the Sprint if they have a description, are sized to be completed within one Sprint, and have been ordered.
Ready Story Sentiment
Ready story sentiment is a qualitative measurement of how well the team prepared the Product Backlog for the most recent Sprint. One way to measure ready story sentiment is to discuss it at the Sprint Retrospective. Ask the Developers to rate how ready the Product Backlog was for the previous Sprint.
So, is there such a thing as too much refined work?
When analyzing the performance of the Product Backlog, it’s worth considering whether your team has refined too much work.
What to do if you have too much?
If your Product Backlog contains work you might never deliver, it’s time to clean house. You can delete or archive older PBIs depending on your organization’s needs. Regularly cleaning up your Product Backlog is good practice, but the exact frequency is up to you.
Conclusion
Finding the right balance of refined work for YOUR team is an art and is a strategic decision the Product Owner makes. The goal is to find the optimal balance for your team that eliminates the waste associated with investing too much time in the Product Backlog and the need to have enough ready work to avoid idle time for the Scrum Team.