Backlog refinement at scale: Best practices
Agile release trains and Scrum teams use a continuous flow-based approach to deliver new products and features. To maintain a consistent workflow, development teams need a well-organized backlog of items prioritized by value, business goals, and user expectations.
Without proper management, backlogs can become overwhelming, leaving Scrum teams unclear on which items to prioritize for upcoming sprints. This is why backlog refinement at scale is a critical activity in the agile framework.
Backlog refinement helps agile teams with sprint planning by identifying high-priority tasks, uncovering dependencies, and optimizing resource allocation. Here’s how it works.
What is backlog refinement at scale?
No matter which Scrum framework a business follows, development teams rely on a backlog containing all the tasks needed to advance the product and achieve its goals. This includes:
User stories
Bugs
Design changes
Technical debt
User requests
Corrective actions arising from retrospective meetings
These items form an ordered list of desires, not commitments. There is no set timeline for completion, and Scrum teams remain flexible about which items to implement and when. The product owner (PO) is responsible for managing the backlog's content and balancing conflicting stakeholder priorities.
Backlog grooming or refinement involves adding new items and prioritizing them alongside existing tasks based on business and stakeholder needs.
A backlog comes with three input channels:
ART backlog: During PI planning, the agile release train breaks down features and functionalities into user stories, which are then added to the Scrum backlog for the next iteration.
Team context: Scrum members often adjust priorities and add new items to the backlog during sprint planning.
Stakeholder contributions: Sometimes, the backlog includes user stories that address other teams' dependencies, such as research estimates for features and epics tied to the ART’s PI objectives.
Once all inputs are added, the Scrum team collaborates with customers and stakeholders to refine the content.
The backlog refinement process varies depending on the team’s preferences. Some teams hold weekly refinement meetings, while others make adjustments during daily Scrums. Certain agile teams also conduct requirement specification workshops, using techniques like Behavior-Driven Development to clarify stories.
Regardless of when refinement occurs, the product owner, stakeholders, and developers work together to add new issues, features, and stories, prioritize them, and resolve any problems with the current plan. If necessary, the team will engage in further discussions to update the backlog.
Best practices for backlog refinement
Although there’s no strict process, the following product backlog management activities help maintain a well-organized backlog:
Refining user story requirements and establishing acceptance criteria.
Collaborating with the development team, Scrum masters, and other stakeholders, sometimes with input from subject matter experts, to prioritize backlog items based on business goals and objectives.
Defining new user stories and reviewing existing ones to determine if they need updates or removal from the backlog.
Preparing high-priority items by establishing a “definition of done” and breaking them into smaller tasks for teams to complete during a sprint.
Assessing the relevance of long-standing user stories and removing those that are no longer relevant.
Why high-performing agile teams refine backlogs
The intended value of a backlog refinement event is to produce a well-prioritized list of tasks through discussion and revision. These sessions ensure the backlog is current and tasks are ready for implementation. However, backlog grooming also provides several key benefits for agile teams.
Clarity and alignment
Since backlog items require clearly defined requirements and outcomes, developers gain the insight needed for accurate estimation, planning, and prioritization. This understanding keeps Scrum teams aligned with organizational goals and strategies.
Improved collaboration and transparency
Backlog refinement is a collaborative effort, bringing together a cross-functional group of stakeholders. The team reviews, discusses, and clarifies backlog items, fostering effective communication, trust, and shared ownership.
Facilitates iterative development
By breaking down user stories into smaller work increments, development teams can deliver value with each sprint. This iterative approach allows teams to quickly adjust the product based on customer feedback, reducing risk and enhancing the user experience (UX) while increasing brand loyalty.
Prioritizes user stories
Collaborative refinement sessions help teams organize and prioritize backlog items based on value, dependencies, and customer needs. This process enables agile teams to focus on delivering high-value features first, maximizing value for both customers and the business.
Ensures incremental delivery
Each incremental delivery produces a shippable product that adds value for the customer. Early feedback in the development process helps accelerate time-to-market and reduces the risk of delays and bottlenecks.
Collective expertise
Agile Scrum teams are composed of subject matter experts from various disciplines. Their diverse perspectives enhance the backlog refinement process, driving innovation, improving sprint planning, and ensuring on-time delivery within the sprint timebox.
Enhancing backlog refinement at scale with Tempo
Whether you're conducting a SaFE backlog refinement or using another Scrum framework, Tempo provides the tools needed to organize and manage a scaled agile team’s backlog. Strategic Roadmaps offers a built-in prioritization feature that continuously identifies the most important tasks for the Scrum team to focus on.
Structure PPM includes an epic tracker and sprint planner to align the backlog with execution. Scrum masters can monitor team capacity and resource allocation, ensuring that every completed initiative contributes to long-term business goals.
Start scaling agile across your business
Get started
