What happens in a Grooming Session (Backlog Refinement)?

* The Grooming / Backlog Refinement session must be conducted on Sunday, one week before Sprint Planning.

This is a regular session where the team prepares the Sprint Backlog. During this session, the following activities take place:

• Review User Stories and tasks in the backlog

  • The team reviews all stories and ensures they are clear and well understood.

  • Each User Story must have clear Acceptance Criteria, and UX designs should be available, even if they are initial or high-level designs.

• Update story details

  • Add or refine descriptions, Acceptance Criteria, and any missing details.

• Review and adjust priorities

  • Update or correct priorities if needed based on business needs.

• Estimate User Stories

  • The team estimates the effort or size of each User Story.

• Split large or complex stories

  • Large or complex User Stories are broken down into smaller, manageable stories.

• Prepare stories for Sprint Planning

  • Ensure that the stories are “ready” to be planned and committed in the upcoming sprint.

• Allow time for edits during the week

  • There is flexibility during the rest of the week to apply any required updates or refinements.

• Testing preparation

  • Once the Sprint Backlog is finalized, User Stories are assigned to testers in each team so they can prepare test cases and get confirmation from the Business team.

• Add estimated time

  • An estimated time is added to each User Story.

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Why is Grooming important?

• Keeps the backlog organized and always ready.

• Helps the team clearly understand the work before development starts.

• Reduces the time needed for Sprint Planning.

• Improves communication and alignment between the Product Owner and the team.