Delivery : Backlog Refinement

Backlog refinements should happen on a regular basis within the sprint cycle to ensure that there is a constantly well-stocked product backlog containing enough approved product backlog items for any upcoming sprint planning meetings.

High level product backlog items are broken down into product backlog items of a size suitable to be included in a sprint. Typically, this results in an estimate of between one and five days.  Acceptance criteria should be added so that it’s clear to the software engineer exactly what needs to be built and to the tester how it should work.

Product backlog items start their life at a status of new and move to approved when they have been agreed by the development team that they can be started.   i.e. There are no missing details, no missing external dependencies, etc.

Product backlog items should all be given a priority between 1 and 4, with 1 being the highest priority.