What is Product Backlog Refinement? Everything you need to know

Jun 7

Product Backlog Refinement is Scrum and is the process of clarifying, organizing, and prioritizing Product Backlog Items (PBIs).

In Scrum, this activity occurs within a Sprint; in Kanban, you can perform PBR at any time. In both methodologies, the goal of PBR is to derive actionable user stories ready for development and delivery.

The outcome of PBR is called the Sprint Goal, which becomes the Sprint Commitment (within Scrum) or the expected value delivered by each PBI during the sprint (within Kanban).

Backlog Refinement is about developing a shared understanding of what the product will and will not do, the effort required to implement it, and the order you will use.

Why Is Backlog Refinement Important?

Backlog Refinement is important because it: Is a process that helps teams clarify their understanding of Product Backlog Items (PBIs) and how to implement them;

Helps teams understand why they need to build certain PBIs and how those PBIs fit into their overall goals for a project or release;

Allows team members to ask questions about PBIs and resolve any issues before implementation begins;

Helps teams make sure that all requirements are understood before development begins, so there are no surprises during implementation—which can be costly in terms of time, money, resources, etc;

Ensures that team members have a shared understanding of what will be built and how it will work when it’s done;

Allows teams to reflect on their work and identify areas for improvement or change as needed.

Is There a Difference Between Backlog Refinement and Backlog Grooming?

There is no distinction between the two phrases. Backlog grooming has fallen out of favor among Scrum professionals, and Backlog Refinement has taken its place.

Scrum experts thought that "grooming" was a dirty word. Backlog refining is also called backlog, pre-planning, and story time management.

When’s the Best Time for Backlog Refinement?

The best time for Backlog Refinement depends on what your team wants. If a team’s eager to refine but willing to wait several weeks for an upcoming sprint, it’s a better choice than spending time at every sprint planning meeting.

Just because a backlog-refinement session isn’t scheduled doesn’t mean it can’t happen. Always start with what you need.

Steps in Product Backlog Refinement?

The Product Backlog Refinement process involves:

Assembling: One of Agile’s guiding principles is that work should be pulled through a process by customers, not pushed through by teams. As such, Backlog Refinement starts with assembling all product requirements into one prioritized list—what we call Product Backlog—for easy reference.

Envisioning: The Product Backlog should then be reviewed with stakeholders to envision how their goals will be accomplished once they are prioritized into development. The envisioning discussion brings clarity and transparency to each item in the Product Backlog, ensuring that everyone understands its inclusion and value. While envisioning isn’t a formal step of Backlog Refinement, it’s an important part of Agile planning.

Prioritizing: When all requirements have been assembled and discussed, you can begin to prioritize them. To create what we call a release plan, stakeholders work together to identify which requirements are most valuable—and which ones aren’t necessary at all.

Organizing: Release plans should be organized into development sprints (or iterations). During Backlog Refinement, developers decide how many stories they want in each sprint. Furthermore, they decide whether there will be any special sprints for technical debt or other issues that need attention before new features can be built.

Estimating: Requirements should also be evaluated during Backlog Refinement, so teams know how much time it will take to build each one once they reach development. This process can be tricky, but Agile frameworks like Scrum include rules for estimating that help makes it more consistent and effective.

Scheduling: Once stories have been prioritized, organized into sprints, and estimated, you can begin scheduling them into your calendar. This step involves determining when stories can start being built and when they’ll need to be completed to ensure you meet your release date without sacrificing quality or functionality.

Prioritizing: As development progresses, it’s crucial to revisit Backlog Refinement to make sure priorities are still correct. A Product Owner may realize that a story isn’t as valuable as initially thought or that another story is more important than initially planned.

Monitoring: While Agile emphasizes working software over comprehensive documentation, it doesn’t mean teams should forego all project management tools. Backlog Refinement can be enhanced by using a tool like JIRA or Trello to monitor and update Product Backlog items throughout development. These tools make it easy for stakeholders to see what stories are being worked on at any given time and track their progress as they move through sprints of development.

Releasing: Finally, once a Product Owner determines that enough work has been completed for a release, they will schedule a release date and prepare their team for deployment.

The Bottom Line

The Product Backlog is one of Scrum’s three core artifacts (the other two being the sprint backlog and, of course, the sprint itself). Without it, you can’t run a Scrum project. With it, you can create something valuable for your users.

This guide has covered how it works and what its functions are. Hopefully, now you have a better idea of how Product Backlog Refinement fits into your development processes.

IT Management & Consulting

IT Management & Consulting's mission is to help businesses and organizations improve productivity through Agile and Scrum.

We have previously worked with a range of renowned companies, including Goldman Sachs, H&M Group, and Cabonline. Over the past seven years, we have helped clients reduce developing costs by up to 25% and improve on-time delivery by up to 40%.

We are always open to working with companies in Stockholm and remote who want to increase their productivity.

Ondrej Papanek