Backlog Grooming

5 minutes 5 Questions

Backlog grooming, also referred to as backlog refinement or story time, is a recurring event for agile product development teams. The primary purpose of a backlog grooming session is to ensure the next few sprints worth of user stories in the product backlog are prepared for sprint planning. Regula…

Backlog Grooming in Agile Project Management

What is Backlog Grooming?
Backlog grooming, also known as backlog refinement, is an Agile project management process that involves periodically reviewing and prioritising product backlog items. The purpose is to ensure the backlog contains the appropriate items, that they are prioritised, and that the items are prepared for upcoming sprints.

Why is it important?
Backlog grooming is important for effective Agile project management because it helps to keep the team focused on delivering high-value items. It reduces time wasted on less important tasks, and ensures the team has a ready supply of 'work in progress' that aligns with project objectives.

How it works?
The project team, along with the product owner, regularly review the product backlog. They add detail, estimates, and order to the items. Items at the top of the backlog, which are expected to be delivered in the next sprint, are broken down so they can be completed within one sprint.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Backlog Grooming
1. Understand the basics: Make sure you know what backlog grooming is, why it's important, and how it works within Agile project management.
2. Use Examples: Use practical examples to demonstrate your understanding of backlog grooming.
3. Relate to Agile Principles: Relate the use of backlog grooming to Agile principles, such as adaptive planning, value-driven delivery, and team collaboration.
4. Understand Roles: Know the roles that participate in backlog grooming, especially the role of the product owner.
5. Describe Benefits: Be ready to describe the benefits of backlog grooming, such as improved productivity and focus on high-value work.

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CAPM - Backlog Grooming Example Questions

Test your knowledge of Backlog Grooming

Question 1

During backlog grooming, the project team is reviewing items in the backlog to ensure they are prioritized and ready for the upcoming sprint planning meeting. The team is discussing an item that is not well understood and needs further elaboration. What should the team do next?

Conduct a spike to research and gather more information on the item. Discuss the item briefly in the sprint planning meeting. Delay further discussion until the next backlog grooming session where more stakeholders are present. Assign the item to a team member for immediate implementation.

Correct Answer: Conduct a spike to research and gather more information on the item.

During backlog grooming, if an item is not well understood and needs further elaboration, the best course of action is to conduct a spike to research and gather more information on the item. This will help the team gain clarity and better understanding of the item before the sprint planning meeting. Discussing the item briefly in the sprint planning meeting without further elaboration may lead to confusion and inefficiencies. Assigning the item for immediate implementation without fully understanding it can result in errors and setbacks. Delaying further discussion until the next backlog grooming session is not ideal as it may prolong uncertainty and hinder progress. Therefore, conducting a spike to research and gather more information is the most appropriate next step in this scenario.

Question 2

As the Scrum Master, you realize during a backlog grooming session, the team is spending an extensive amount of time discussing the functionality of a low priority user story. What should be your approach?

Advise the team to prioritize items that deliver the most value first and suggest briefly parking the discussion for less urgent items. Propose to assign the low priority item to a sub-team for detailed analysis outside of the grooming session. Suggest re-estimating all backlog items to ensure the time spent discussing each matches its complexity and importance. Recommend that the team uses the remaining time of the session to vote on the importance of all backlog items.

Correct Answer: Advise the team to prioritize items that deliver the most value first and suggest briefly parking the discussion for less urgent items.

The correct approach is to encourage the team to prioritize work that delivers the most value first while being pragmatic about the time spent on lower priority items. Proposing to assign it to a sub-team, re-estimating all items, or focusing solely on prioritization through voting might divert the team from effective grooming practices. The goal of backlog refinement sessions is to ensure that the highest priority items are well understood and ready for upcoming sprints, not to get caught up in detailed discussions about lower priority work.

Question 3

During a backlog grooming session, the team discovers that a high-priority user story lacks sufficient details and acceptance criteria. What should the Scrum Master do to address this issue effectively?

Instruct the Development Team to make assumptions about the missing details and proceed with the implementation based on their best judgment. Advise the Product Owner to provide the missing details and acceptance criteria after the sprint planning meeting to avoid delaying the sprint. Encourage the Development Team to split the user story into smaller, more manageable tasks and estimate them based on the available information, even if some details are missing. Facilitate a discussion between the Product Owner and the Development Team to clarify the user story and define clear acceptance criteria.

Correct Answer: Facilitate a discussion between the Product Owner and the Development Team to clarify the user story and define clear acceptance criteria.

The best approach is to facilitate a discussion between the Product Owner and the Development Team to clarify the user story and define clear acceptance criteria. This collaborative effort ensures that all stakeholders have a shared understanding of the requirements and helps refine the user story to a sufficient level of detail. Instructing the Development Team to make assumptions about missing details can lead to misunderstandings and potentially incorrect implementations. It is crucial to have clarity and consensus on the user story before proceeding with the implementation. Advising the Product Owner to provide missing details after the sprint planning meeting may cause delays and disrupt the sprint. It is important to have a well-defined user story before the sprint begins to ensure smooth execution and avoid scope creep. Encouraging the Development Team to split the user story and estimate based on incomplete information is not ideal. While splitting user stories can be helpful, it should be done based on a clear understanding of the requirements. Estimating with missing details can lead to inaccurate estimations and potential rework.

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