Product Backlog Refinement (formerly known as “Product Backlog Grooming”) is a session during which the Scrum Team (Developers, Product Owner, ScrumMaster) prepare the Product Backlog for the next few sprints. New Product Backlog Items (PBIs) are added for new needs to be considered. PBIs that are too large to be worked on in a single Sprint are broken down into smaller items. Estimates are made as to how much time each PBI will require to complete. The Product Owner makes prioritization decisions about PBIs, sharing with the Team their reasoning. PBIs that are no longer important are deleted, making room for new ones. The items that are candidates for the next Sprint Planning have their initial acceptance criteria written.
Scrum by Example – Product Backlog Refinement in Action
Scrum By Example – Ill-Prepared Team Goes into Sprint Planning
Scrum Anti-Patterns: Large Product Backlog
Resource Links:
- 28 Product Backlog and Refinement Anti-Patterns
- 35 cards which will improve your backlog refinement process and engage every team member
- Backlog Refinement/Grooming – Definition from Agile Alliance
- Backlog Grooming Bugs Me
- Backlog Grooming: Who, When and How
- Backlog Refinement …Are You Doing It Right?
- Different Approaches for Product Backlog Grooming
- Discovery Board
- Evidence for the Effectiveness of Good Backlog Refinement
- Refined Product Backlog – Pattern
- Refining the Product Backlog
- How To Refine Features
- Large Group Product Backlog Refinement in LeSS & LeSS Huge
- Refinement: The Mise en Place of Great Scrum Teams
- Tips for Reducing the Product Backlog Size
- When Should Product Backlog Refinement Take Place?
Books:
- Gamestorming: A Playbook for Innovators, Rulebreakers, and Changemakers – Dave Gray – a book to add some play into your work
- Innovation Games: Creating Breakthrough Products Through Collaborative Play – Luke Hohmann – includes games that can be used for Backlog Refinement
Mark Levison has been helping Scrum teams and organizations with Agile, Scrum and Kanban style approaches since 2001. From certified scrum master training to custom Agile courses, he has helped well over 8,000 individuals, earning him respect and top rated reviews as one of the pioneers within the industry, as well as a raft of certifications from the ScrumAlliance. Mark has been a speaker at various Agile Conferences for more than 20 years, and is a published Scrum author with eBooks as well as articles on InfoQ.com, ScrumAlliance.org an AgileAlliance.org.
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