What Is Backlog Refinement?
- Having a conversation to provide clarity surrounding the detail or conditions of satisfaction for work items in the backlog
- Identifying priority for work items in the backlog
- Sometimes called "Backlog Grooming"
Why Do Backlog Refinement?
How to do Backlog Refinement?
How often should it occur and for how long?
- The simple answer is as often as is necessary
- Typically its advised that 1 hour of refinement should suffice for each week of the sprint
Tips for Remote Working
- This is perhaps the one of the most difficult to do remotely to keep the team engaged, especially if there hasn’t been a proper preparation by the Product Owner and Engagement Lead.
- Ensure the Product Owner is prepared and has the necessary details and research done prior to the group getting together.
- You can rotate role for leading the sessions to increase the team engagement with less passive behaviours and reduce tiredness on a single person acting as lead.
- Organise multiple small sessions instead of a single long one for remote refinement, otherwise the session becomes tedious and people lose focus.
- Use the virtual tools available to make as interactive as possible.
- Use online tools to share the product backlog.
- Share definition of done and ready with the team and keep them on display during the meeting.
Advice
- Although typically occurring as a team meeting, backlog refinement can occur throughout the sprint with the required parties. However information gained in this meeting must be adequately radiated to those who need it.
- Product owners are also not necessarily required for a backlog refinement. The key is to have those who have sufficient knowledge to talk through a backlog item and answer questions. This may come in the form of a Product owner, Stakeholder, Developer etc
Want to get better with Backlog Refinement remotely? Here's a game to help you and your team practice it 💻 🙏
Links we love
Check out these great links which can help you dive a little deeper into running the Backlog Refinement practice with your team, customers or stakeholders.
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