Refining the Product Backlog

Before we can start a Sprint, we must have a refined Product Backlog. Product Backlog refinement is the activity of breaking down backlog items into more concise and manageable items and providing more details. During refining, the Scrum Team analyzes, discusses, estimates, and orders backlog items. The purpose of the activity is to enable Developers to start working on items with the least amount of disruption or ambiguity.

So, a refined backlog is one in which items are detailed, estimated, and ordered. We have already learned how to create detailed and descriptive backlog items as user stories or features in Chapter 5. We have also examined how to estimate items in Chapter 6. In this section, we’ll delve more into the one remaining aspect of backlog refinement we have not covered yet: ordering.

Tip

Some Scrum Teams hold weekly refinement meetings, usually led by the Product Owner (PO). This is not a bad practice in itself; however, it...