Let\u2019s get started.<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"Backlog](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Backlog-refinement-cover.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nWhat is backlog refinement? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
As its name suggests, backlog refinement is related to refining a backlog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To begin with, let\u2019s define the Product Backlog<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As stated in the Scrum guide<\/a>, the Product Backlog is \u201can emergent, ordered list of what is needed to improve the product. It is the single source of work undertaken by the Scrum Team.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Refinement, by definition, means the process of improving something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Backlog refinement is related to keeping the Product Backlog relevant and in good order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Scrum.org<\/a>, Product Backlog refinement is \u201cthe act of breaking down and further defining Product Backlog items into smaller, more precise items.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Backlog refinement helps keep the Product Backlog up-to-date and ensures that items in the Product Backlog are ready for upcoming Sprints<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Simply said, it helps keep the Product Backlog relevant and Product Backlog items well-prioritized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 Plaky Pro Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When the Product Backlog items are in good order and prioritized, they are easier to implement in the Sprint Backlog. More on the differences between the two Backlogs here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are wondering about the difference between backlog grooming and backlog refinement \u2014 there is no difference. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Backlog grooming and backlog refinement are synonyms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The term \u201cbacklog grooming\u201d is somewhat dated because \u201cgrooming\u201d can have a negative connotation, so \u201crefinement\u201d is used more often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \n Take control of your team's workload and achieve better project results with Plaky.<\/p>\n\n Backlog refinement is not necessarily a meeting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Professional Scrum Trainer Jasper Alblas<\/a> explains in his article about Product Backlog refinement<\/a> that \u201cProduct Backlog Refinement is not a meeting, but a series of different activities. Meetings can be included.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s cover the backlog refinement basics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019re probably wondering who shows up at Product Backlog refinement sessions. The answer is \u2014 the Scrum Team. During backlog refinement, the Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Developers discuss the top items in the Product Backlog. Sometimes, they also invite stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As per the Scrum.org article<\/a>, \u201cthe goal of Product Backlog refinement is to work with the Scrum Team and stakeholders (when relevant), to get Product Backlog items in a \u2018ready state\u2019.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n However, some experts point out that not everyone from the Scrum Team should always participate in backlog refinement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ryan Ripley and Todd Miller, the authors of \u201cFixing Your Scrum: Practical Solutions to Common Scrum Problems,\u201d<\/em> discussed who attends backlog refinement in Scrum in their Your Daily Scrum <\/em>podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A key takeaway from their podcast episode is \u2014 do what makes sense for you. According to them, not all Developers need to attend backlog refinement all the time, with \u201call the time\u201d being the key phrase here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Professional Scrum Trainer Stefan Wolpers<\/a> shares their opinion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In his article \u201cProduct Backlog Refinement: How to Succeed as a Scrum Team,\u201d<\/em><\/a> published on Scrum.org, he mentions these 3 principles related to who participates in backlog refinement:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Per the Scrum guide, Product Backlog refinement is \u201can ongoing activity to add details, such as a description, order, and size. Attributes often vary with the domain of work.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n As you can see, backlog refinement is an ongoing process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his article about optimizing Product Backlog refinement<\/a>, professional Scrum trainer Tod Miller<\/a> explains that \u201cthere is no single right way to incorporate Product Backlog refinement into a Sprint. You may hold it daily, weekly, or once a Sprint.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n So, there is no strict rule on how often we should refine the Product Backlog. It depends on your own team\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Scrum, there are some time-boxed events. However, Product Backlog refinement is not such an event. Therefore, there is no precise duration of a backlog refinement applicable to all projects across all industries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n According to ScrumInc<\/a>, the Scrum Team decides how much time they need to refine and understand Product Backlog<\/a> items.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 Plaky Pro Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Find out more about Scrum and Scrum terminology in our guide:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, it\u2019s time to discuss the backlog refinement process in more detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s find out more about:<\/p>\n\n\n\n What do we do during Product Backlog refinement?<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to ScrumInc<\/a>, Product Backlog refinement <\/em>includes the following activities:<\/p>\n\n\n\n These activities sound quite simple. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The emerging question is \u2014 how can you do Product Backlog refinement properly?<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is no rule. Scrum isn\u2019t a methodology, but rather a framework. As such, it\u2019s less prescriptive and, therefore, it provides intentionally incomplete instructions in places. Teams are meant to find backlog refinement strategies that work for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, you can make this easier by following the strategies recommended by Scrum expert Simon Flossma<\/a>n<\/a>n<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In his article for Scrum.org, Scrum trainer Simon Flossmann shares 5 strategies for doing product backlog refinement<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s provide a brief overview of what he said about each strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For gaining insights, Simon Flossmann suggests using two tools \u2014 Hypothesis Canvas based on Jeff Gothelf\u2019s Lean UX Canvas<\/a> and User Experience (UX) Fishbowl<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These tools help gain insights that enable the Scrum Team and stakeholders to achieve a shared understanding of the work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Its author, Jeff Gothelf, describes Lean UX Canvas<\/a> as \u201ca facilitation tool for cross-functional teams designed to create a customer-centric conversation about the work the team is doing.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n A User Experience (UX) Fishbowl allows Scrum Teams to explore the Product Backlog item\u2019s realization from the stakeholders\u2019 perspective. Moreover, it unlocks possibilities for Scrum Teams to break down large Product Backlog items into smaller ones that still have value to stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Simon Flossmann points out that ordering the Product Backlog is a collaborative effort. When the Scrum Team orders the Product Backlog in cooperation with stakeholders, they get new insight into what can be beneficial for the product. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As Simon Flossmann explains, the goal of Product Backlog estimation is to achieve a shared understanding of the work in the Product Backlog. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He further explains how Scrum Teams estimate Product Backlog items (PBI). Developers assign a size to PBIs and use relative sizes. It means the PBI\u2019s size is expressed in relation to the other items, and it is not the absolute size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He suggests Magic Estimation and Planning Poker as estimation practices based on relative sizing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to him, Magic Estimation enables Scrum Teams to estimate a Product Backlog in a short time, while Planning Poker<\/a> helps Scrum teams understand Product Backlog items and achieve a shared understanding of their size.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mr. Flossmann suggests two ways of breaking down Product Backlog items:<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Simon Flossmann explains, Scrum Teams make dependencies visible in the Product Backlog. By doing so, they can eliminate them early. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He suggests these steps for making dependencies visible:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udca1 Plaky Pro Tip<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Find out more about project dependencies in our guide:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, it\u2019s time to address the benefits you can expect from refining a Product Backlog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While there are 7 benefits in total, we\u2019ve split them into these groups:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to the main benefit of backlog refinement, we\u2019ll also present 6 other benefits according to the Scrum expert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If we had to choose one key benefit of backlog refinement, it would be that it ensures the Product Backlog is accurate and reflects the project\u2019s current state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, the whole team can focus on what matters the most and what they need to do without being overwhelmed with tasks that are not important at the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But this is far from the only benefit you can expect from doing Product Backlog refinement right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In her \u201cThe Art of Product Backlog Refinement\u201d<\/em><\/a> article published on Scrum.org, Stephanie Ockerman<\/a>, professional Scrum trainer and author, points out several benefits of Product Backlog refinement:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s find out what she said about the benefits of backlog refinement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Stephanie Ockerman explains, the Product Backlog helps provide transparency. Adding more details makes our plans and progress more transparent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When we clarify the details around value, the results we attempt to accomplish with the Product Backlog Item (PBI) become clearer, and PBI can meet user and business needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Stephanie, Product Backlog Items (PBI) should be small enough that a Development Team can complete more than one PBI in a Sprint. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As she explains, “having more than one PBI in a Sprint gives the team some flexibility to meet a Sprint Goal and deliver a “Done” Increment.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n We cannot avoid dependencies, but we should try to reduce them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As Stephanie points out, we can slice and split Product Backlog Items differently, reorder and do many other things, but we want to \u2014 as a minimum \u2014 have dependencies transparent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A refined Product Backlog combined with historical information about the Scrum Team\u2019s ability to deliver a working product helps us to make forecasts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As she explains, \u201csome products need to forecast several Sprints into the future to help communicate release expectations with stakeholders. Other products will not have a need to do forecasting beyond the current Sprint. Most products fall somewhere along this spectrum\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n When talking about incorporating learning, Stephanie explains how \u201cEmpiricism is about incorporating the learning you gain as you build the product, as you better understand how to realize the product vision, as you see changes happening in your environment.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Simply put, when you do a backlog refinement, you incorporate the learning you obtain as you build the product and adapt the Product Backlog to reflect newly acquired knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udcd6 Scrum is a complicated project management framework, with many unique terms that those who utilize Scrum are expected to know. For explanations on more Scrum terms, as well as project management terminology in general, you can check out our Project Management Glossary of Terms<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Project management tools cannot replace backlog refinement sessions. However, you can easily keep your Product Backlog up-to-date with the help of project management software such as Plaky<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plaky currently supports 3 project views:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Table view in particular is a great way to get insight into your backlog, as you can have all tasks grouped, organized, and sorted based on your needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The customizable Fields display a wide variety of important task information, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n All of this helps provide intuitive and detailed insight into your backlog and can help you refine it more efficiently.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhy is backlog refinement important?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Backlog grooming vs refinement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Free project management software<\/h2>\n
![\"Illustration\"](\"https:\/\/plaky.com\/learn\/wp-content\/themes\/cake-learn\/src\/images\/plaky\/banners\/default@2x.png)
\n <\/picture>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat is a backlog refinement meeting?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Who attends the backlog refinement?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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How often should you do backlog refinement?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How long should a backlog refinement take?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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What happens during backlog refinement?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Backlog refinement activities<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Backlog refinement strategies<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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#1 Gaining insights <\/h4>\n\n\n\n
#2 Ordering the Product Backlog<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
#3 Estimating Product Backlog items<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
#4 Breaking down of Product Backlog items<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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#5 Eliminating dependencies<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Backlog refinement benefits<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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What is the one key benefit of backlog refinement?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
6 backlog refinement benefits, according to a Scrum expert<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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#1 Increasing transparency<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
#2 Clarifying the value<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
#3 Breaking things into consumable pieces<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
#4 Reducing dependencies<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
#5 Forecasting<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
#6 Incorporating learning<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Ready to say goodbye to cluttered backlogs? Try Plaky today<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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