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Backlog refinement: All you need to know

Backlog refinement is an essential practice in the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®) that helps teams maintain alignment, build a shared understanding, and plan for upcoming work. In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through the purpose, best practices, and tips for effective backlog refinement, ensuring your team is prepared for the next iteration and beyond.

What is Backlog Refinement?

Backlog refinement is the process where Agile teams discuss and clarify upcoming work, refine stories, identify dependencies, and prioritize tasks. It’s a collaborative session that allows teams to prepare for future iterations and ensures stories are well-defined, small, and ready for implementation.

In a SAFe® environment, backlog refinement sessions are typically facilitated by the Product Owner (PO) and should occur once or twice per iteration, depending on team needs. These sessions ensure that there are no surprises when the iteration begins, and everyone is aligned on the scope and objectives.

Backlog refinement

The Purpose of Backlog Refinement

Backlog refinement serves several critical functions for Agile teams:

    • Aligning on Future Work: It helps the team build a shared understanding of what is coming up, what needs to be done, and the overall objectives.
    • Identifying Dependencies: Teams can discuss dependencies with other teams, ensuring alignment and risk mitigation.
    • Prioritizing the Backlog: Refinement sessions inform backlog prioritization, ensuring the team focuses on the most important tasks first.
    • Ensuring Stories are Ready for Implementation: The refinement session is where stories are broken down, clarified, and prioritized, making them ready for the next iteration.

Agenda for Backlog Refinement Sessions

A typical backlog refinement session includes the following key components:

    1. Review Top-Priority Items: Focus on the stories that are crucial for the upcoming iteration. Ensure there are enough well-defined stories for the team to work on.
    2. Discuss Future Stories: Explore upcoming features, PI (Program Increment) objectives, maintenance needs, and dependencies. This brainstorming helps the PO gather information for a predictable roadmap.
    3. Estimate and Prioritize Stories: Use methods like the INVEST criteria (Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, Testable) and the 3 Cs (Card, Conversation, Confirmation) to size and rank the stories.
    4. Clarify Acceptance Criteria: Ensure that stories have clear acceptance criteria to avoid ambiguity during implementation.
    5. Follow-Up Actions: After the session, update team boards, communicate with dependent teams, and align on any changes.

 

Preparation Checklist for Facilitators

    • Location and Time: Choose a space (physical or virtual) that promotes collaboration. Ensure the backlog is accessible to all participants.
    • Establish a Cadence: Decide on a regular schedule for backlog refinement, ideally once or twice per iteration.
    • Prepare Inputs: Gather key information such as PI objectives, feature lists, and dependencies with other teams. Define candidate stories and ensure they are ready for discussion. Define team capacity allocation.

Expected Outcomes

The expected outcomes of backlog refinement include reaching an agreement on the scope and effort required to meet team goals in the upcoming iteration(s), developing a shared understanding of how upcoming work may be executed, and ensuring that stories are estimated with clear acceptance criteria for the next iteration. Additionally, spikes for further investigation are identified, any unresolved outcomes or follow-up actions are determined, and potential risks or impediments in the current plan are surfaced and addressed.

Tips and Tricks for Successful Backlog Refinement

    • Facilitating Remotely: Ensure all tools are accessible online and up-to-date. Use communication channels to share the agenda in advance. For estimating story sizes, consider using creative methods like polls or visual cues during virtual meetings.
    • Creative Collaboration: Use backlog refinement as a time to improve story writing, brainstorm, and promote alignment. Set timers for focused discussions, and work in smaller groups if needed.
    • Splitting Large Stories: If a story is too large (e.g., more than eight points), work with your team to break it down into smaller, manageable stories.

Backlog refinement is a collaborative session that allows teams to prepare for future iterations and ensures stories are well-defined, small, and ready for implementation.

Overcoming Common Challenges

    • Disagreements on Story Size: Engage the scrum master or team coach to foster healthy discussions. If no consensus is reached, the PO can make the final decision, usually opting for a higher estimate to avoid underestimation.
    • Time Management Issues: Use timeboxing to limit the discussion of each story. Set a timer and visually track time to maintain focus.
    • Vague Stories or Assumptions: Postpone discussion on unclear stories until more information is available. Invite subject matter experts or representatives from dependent teams to clarify details.

Post-Event Actions

After each backlog refinement session, take the following actions:

    • Update Team Tools: Ensure all decisions, including story timing, acceptance criteria, and sizing, are reflected in your team’s work management tool.
    • Communicate with Dependent Teams: Align on any changes with teams that you have dependencies with to prevent issues during the next iteration.

Conclusion

Backlog refinement is a crucial practice for Agile teams working within the SAFe® framework. With proper preparation, a clear agenda, and a focus on collaboration, backlog refinement sessions ensure that stories are ready for implementation, dependencies are identified, and priorities are clear. By following this guide and using the provided tips and tricks, facilitators can make backlog refinement a productive and valuable part of the team’s cadence.

For more details on SAFe® backlog refinement, visit the official Scaled Agile Framework website.