Guide: Backlog Grooming

Backlog grooming, also known as backlog refinement or story time, is a vital part of product backlog management in agile software development. This practice helps to keep your product backlog up-to-date, organized, and properly prioritized.

Importance: It's important because an unorganized backlog can lead to confusion, wasted time, loss of focus, and low-quality product outcomes. Grooming the backlog helps to ensure that the team is working on the highest value items and that the items are ready for the team to work on.

What it is: It is the process of reviewing items on the backlog, making sure they are appropriately described and prioritized, and that there is value in doing the project.

How it works: Backlog grooming typically involves a few steps. It starts with the product owner or product manager reviewing the backlog, removing unnecessary items, and adding any new items. Once the backlog is updated, the team then estimates the effort needed for each item and prioritizes them based on the value they deliver against the effort needed.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Backlog Grooming: When answering questions about backlog grooming, prioritize understanding the objective of the grooming process first. It helps to be familiar with the roles involved in the process like the product owner and the development team. Use the definition, importance, and the process of Backlog grooming when answering the questions. It's also beneficial to use real-life scenarios to better describe the process. The understanding of estimation efforts can also fetch you lots of marks.