Backlog refinement meetings: the unsung hero in Agile

Sprints get all the attention in Agile project management, and with good reason. That’s when all the work gets done. Ideas become features, and features converge into products. But there’s a step before the Sprint that makes this all possible: the backlog refinement meeting.

Below, we’ll explore the unsung hero that is the backlog refinement meeting, and offer some insights into how to make yours successful. 

The basics of backlog refinement 

Backlog refinement — aka backlog grooming — is a part of Agile product management cycles where teams collaborate to ensure that the product backlog for the upcoming Sprint cycle is clear, prioritized, and actionable. 

This process involves close collaboration among all Scrum team members, as they come together to analyze user stories, estimate effort, gain a shared understanding of the work to be done, shortlist and re-order key tasks, and align on project goals. 

By doing this before each Sprint cycle, teams can expedite and improve their task planning process, reduce scope creep, and ensure that high-value tasks are ready for development in a timely manner. 

What is a product backlog? 
A product backlog is a prioritized list of tasks, features, and requirements that serves as the single source of truth for Agile teams. It guides development efforts toward project goals.

Key components of an effective backlog refinement meeting

Backlog refinement meetings are Scrum events that ensure the product backlog is organized, actionable, and align with project goals. 

To accomplish this, they need to include the following key components: 

• A clear agenda that outlines meeting objectives and prioritizes high-value backlog items to keep discussions focused and efficient​​.
• Scrum team participation, including the product owner, Scrum master, developers, and stakeholders.
• Collaborative task prioritization based on business value, risks, and dependencies to align with project objectives​​.
• Task estimation exercises to collaboratively assess effort and complexity.
  • Popular techniques include planning poker — an interactive, consensus-driven method where team members estimate effort by “playing” numbered cards as a way of measuring the overall effort, risk, and complexity required to complete a task​​.
• A Definition of Ready (DoR) that dictates which backlog items are ready to be included in the upcoming Sprint​.
• Collaboration tools like digital boards or templates to organize and track updates in real time​​.

Like all Scrum events, backlog refinement meetings are all about collaboration, alignment, and open communication. The meeting structure, team engagement techniques, and collaboration tools should all help teams accomplish this goal.

What to include in the agenda for a backlog refinement meeting 

Nobody likes a meeting without an agenda. That’s especially true for backlog refinement meetings. These are events that require tight scheduling and structured collaboration so that the team can come to a clear consensus on the next Sprint cycle. A well-structured agenda ensures a productive backlog refinement meeting by keeping discussions focused, and outcomes clear and actionable.

Here’s what to include in your agenda, along with recommended timelines. 

1. Opening (5 minutes): Begin with a quick overview of the agenda and set expectations for the meeting’s outcomes. Clearly state the purpose of the session.
2. Backlog review (15 minutes): Review existing backlog items to ensure they’re relevant, clear, and detailed. Update descriptions, refine user stories, and remove any outdated or unnecessary tasks.
3. Prioritization (20 minutes): Reorder backlog items based on value, dependencies, risks, and alignment with project goals. Focus on identifying the highest-impact tasks for the team to address.
4. Estimation (20 minutes): Collaboratively assign effort estimates to backlog items using techniques like planning poker or story points. 
5. Discussion of new items (15 minutes): Introduce new backlog items or user stories, define their scope, and evaluate their importance. Determine their potential inclusion in the upcoming Sprint.
6. Action items and closing (5 minutes): Summarize the key decisions made during the meeting, review any remaining questions, and confirm next steps. Outline preparation tasks for the next backlog refinement session to ensure continuous progress.

If all goes well, the Scrum team will have a clear and actionable list of tasks to complete in the upcoming Sprint. 

How long should a backlog refinement meeting be? 
Backlog refinement meetings should typically last one to two hours — and be held once per Sprint — to ensure enough time for meaningful discussions without causing fatigue​​. 
If meetings regularly go longer, you may want to consider reducing the number of tasks you assess, and splitting them out into multiple Sprint cycles. 

5 pitfalls to avoid during backlog refinement 

Even with a backlog refinement meeting agenda in place, things can go awry. It’s easy to lose focus in meetings, or fail to establish consensus on what comes next.

Here are five common pitfalls that can lead to backlog meeting failure: 

• Lack of preparation. Team members may attend without reviewing the backlog or understanding priorities, both of which can lead to unproductive discussions​.
• Overloading the agenda. Trying to tackle too many items in one session results in rushed decisions and lower-quality refinement​​.
• Unclear objectives. Without clear goals for the meeting, discussions can become unfocused, leading to misalignment and wasted time​.
• Excluding key stakeholders. Not involving the product owner, Scrum master, or development team limits the scope of the conversation, and doesn’t allow for the diverse input needed to make business-informed decisions. 
• Ignoring time limits. Allowing meetings to run too long reduces team engagement and creates fatigue, undermining productivity​​.

While there are quite a few hurdles here, the good news is that there are meeting management tools and techniques available to help make sure things don’t go wrong. 

Best practices for facilitating backlog refinement meetings

An effective backlog refinement meeting requires two key things: preparation and active engagement. 

Here’s how to achieve both: 

• Think ahead. Make sure you, and all participants, are well-prepared before the meeting starts. Share the agenda, prioritized backlog items, and supporting materials with participants before the meeting to maximize readiness and focus​​. Let them know what to expect and what their roles are. 
• Set time limits for key parts of the discussion. Stick to the timelines outlined in the agenda, and use timers or alarms to ensure that you don’t go over time. Designate a meeting facilitator — usually the Scrum Master — to keep the conversation on track. 
• Encourage and actively facilitate participation. The Scrum Master’s job is to create an open environment where all team members feel comfortable contributing ideas and raising questions. 
• Break down complex tasks. Guide the team in splitting large and complex tasks into smaller and more actionable jobs to be done. This improves clarity, helps to establish responsibility, and makes the product backlog more manageable. 

These best practices, used in combination with the right tools, will help to foster collaboration, efficient decision-making, and alignment during backlog refinement sessions. 

Manage your backlog refinement meetings with Miro

If backlog refinement meetings are the unsung heroes in Agile product management, then tooling is the unsung hero in backlog refinement meetings. Tools, like Miro, enable the collaboration and efficiency that teams need to effectively audit, refine, and scope their upcoming Sprint cycles. 

Miro, for example, helps to facilitate backlog refinement meetings by providing collaborative tools like digital boards, estimation templates, meeting management tools, and visuals aids. 

Try Miro’s product backlog template

Scrum Masters can use Miro to plan and facilitate backlog refinement meetings, capture ideas and feedback during the live session, and turn outcomes into actionable tasks. Plus, an integration with Jira ensures that teams can push to-dos from Miro into the project management tools that power their day-to-day production cycle. 

So while Sprints get all the glory in Agile product management, none of the amazing outcomes from these work cycles would be possible without a backlog refinement meeting, and the tools and processes that power them.