Backlog refinement explained — best practices & techniques

How to conduct perfect product grooming

What is backlog refinement?

It’s a meeting to work with your product backlog. Backlog refinement may be a regular meeting or scheduled when needed. There are several possible goals for such an event:

• removing user stories that no longer appear relevant
• creating new user stories in response to newly discovered needs
• re-assessing the relative priority of stories
• assigning estimates to stories that have yet to receive one
• correcting estimates in light of newly discovered information
• splitting user stories that are too big to fit in an upcoming iteration

Why you should conduct a refinement meeting?

The intent of backlog refinement is to ensure that the backlog remains populated with items that are relevant, detailed and estimated to a degree appropriate with their priority, and in keeping with the current understanding of the project or product and its objectives.

How to prepare the meeting

Remember: Refining an object that does not contribute to the product vision is…