How Many Times Should I Refine a Product Backlog Item? With Eric Landes

Agile Coaches' Corner

In this episode, Eric Landes addresses a question he received while training: “How many times should I refine a Product Backlog Item before it’s ready for a Sprint?”

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Key Takeaways:

How many times should a team refine a PBI before it is ready for the sprint? The scrum guide talks about refining as an activity and ongoing. So, the answer is that a team should refine backlog items enough so that they understand the item. It is ready when the team says it is, and the PBI can be completed within a sprint.

Here are some activities a scrum team might undertake to refine their backlog item to ready. Your team may have better ways for you. Remember the ongoing activity, but these are some ways to get started.

First, the Product Owner refines the item when first getting the PBI. Whether the PO entered the item or someone else did, some initial details can be entered. The Product Owner talks to people to help clarify what this is solving.

Sometimes this looks like a Product Owner having a feature that is broad in scope. She then decomposes the feature into multiple stories that she thinks solves the problem.

Second, the Product Owner runs the new PBI by the team in a refinement meeting. Giving the rest of the team some information about this new PBI, and getting feedback on their understanding of what is needed. If the team is satisfied with the answers, they might estimate the PBI during this refinement session. But if more clarification is needed, the Product Owner might elect to get more information.

Third, if the Product Owner needs more clarification, they get it, maybe doing research, talking to customers, or whatever is needed to clarify the PBI. After enough gathering enough information -

Fourth - The Product Owner brings refined PBI to the refinement meeting and the team asks any more questions. Hopefully, the team is confident the PBI can be completed within a sprint, and they estimate.

Now the PBI is ready for the sprint.