We will cover:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
- <\/p>\n
- What do you need to know before hosting a backlog refinement meeting?<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- What is backlog refinement meeting?<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- The key benefits of a backlog refinement meeting<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- Who should run a backlog refinement meeting?<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- How should you prepare for a refinement session?<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- Who should attend a backlog refinement meeting?<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- How often should you hold a refinement meeting?<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- How do you run a backlog refinement meeting?<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- Backlog refinement meeting vs. sprint planning<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- Backlog refinement meeting best practices<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- Do you need to have a backlog refinement meeting?<\/li>\n
<\/ul>\n
<\/p>\n
As you can see there\u2019s a fair bit to get through. Let\u2019s crack on!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
What do I need to know before hosting a backlog refinement meeting?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
There are a couple of things to know before jumping into a backlog refinement meeting. As they say, you can\u2019t run before you can walk. As a product person, you\u2019ll likely know this stuff, but it\u2019s worth going over again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You need to be clear on exactly what a product backlog is<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The product backlog<\/a> is an ever-changing, dynamic list of ideas, features, changes, and fixes representing what could be done to a product.
That ‘could<\/em>‘ is a very important distinction.
Although they’re often confused for each other, a product backlog is not the same as a development backlog.
A development backlog is a list of tasks and tickets you should<\/strong> complete. Think of it as a to-do list. It’s an organized list of what needs to happen to a product.
A product backlog, on the other hand, is different, as it lists every action you could<\/em> do to improve a product. Think of these as opportunities and ideas; not things you need to action just yet. It’s best to avoid combining the two, as it stops your team from getting confused and fosters more creativity while exploring new solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\nRead our full article about the distinctions between a product backlog and a development backlog.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n
\n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/a>\n\n\n\n\nJust as an aside, ProdPad is designed to help teams keep product and development backlogs separate. This gives Product Managers like yourself space for strategic thinking and enables more effective backlog refinement.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n\nSync your development tool with ProdPad for more streamlined backlog refinement. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n
\n Find out more<\/a>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\nYou need to know what backlog refinement involves<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The backlog is a place to store ideas worth exploring. It’ll contain good ideas, and it will undoubtedly contain bad ideas, too. That’s where backlog refinement<\/a> comes in.
Backlog refinement, also known as backlog grooming<\/a>, is the process of reviewing, refining, and re-prioritizing the items and tasks in your product backlog. This is done to keep your ideas organized, up-to-date, and qualified.
Some people also call this process idea triaging, but whatever you call it, this task is designed to identify the ideas that have legs and eliminate the others that may not match your current vision or goal. This leaves you with a better product backlog from which you can move items through your Product Management process.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat is a backlog refinement meeting?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The backlog refinement meeting is a pre-scheduled, recurring time slot where you and the wider product team analyze your current backlog items together to reprioritize or remove ideas.
Backlog refinement is something that a Product Manager will actually be doing continuously, on their own, as part of the day job. But, hosting a backlog refinement session turns the activity into a collaborative effort, helping teams to clarify objectives, requirements, and priorities together. <\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat are the key benefits of a backlog refinement meeting?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
While it may sometimes feel like backlog refinement is a chore (we\u2019ve been known to refer to it as \u2018grunt work\u2019 here at ProdPad, and it\u2019s fundamentally one of the things our tool helps you spend less time doing!), the fact remains that it’s crucial to your role as Product Manager. Hosting regular backlog refinement meetings that match your sprint cycle offers multiple benefits, such as: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Better visibility<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Having a backlog refinement meeting, rather than just doing it on your own, will help the rest of the team (including the Developers) understand what work is coming down the pipeline and gives them a shared understanding of what they should be prepared for.
It\u2019s also a great way of helping them understand why<\/strong> certain product ideas are on their to-do list. This can be a real game-changer when it comes to the wider team understanding their contribution to the overall product strategy and business goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\nAdaptability<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
As you develop your product, the requirements can change based on many factors. A feature once set to improve a product may no longer be effective or relevant as time goes on. To combat this, your whole team needs to be flexible.
When you include the wider team in these meetings, they\u2019ll be involved in the process of shifting priorities and regularly see how adaptable the product backlog is. This can open their eyes to the importance of staying flexible. Fostering this mindset allows you to be better at responding to new discoveries and customer behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\nRegular improvement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
By refining your product backlog together as a team, you’ll be helping to support and cultivate a culture of continuous improvement<\/a>.
When everyone is exposed to the analysis you do and the decisions you make as a result, you stand the greatest chance of making build-measure-learn<\/a> a habit for the entire team. They will be used to learning from past experiences and making changes to optimize their approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWho should run a backlog refinement meeting?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
As the Product Manager or Owner, you likely already take the lead in grooming the product backlog. Because you work with it pretty much every day, It\u2019s only right that you\u2019re in charge of the backlog refinement meeting.
Being the lead in this meeting, the buck stops with you. You\u2019ll be the facilitator of this collaborative session but also the primary decision-maker. As the person running the meeting, it\u2019s down to you to set the agenda, do the initial prep work, and organize the session. <\/p>\n\n\n\nHow should I prepare for a backlog refinement meeting?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
To ensure your meeting is successful, it\u2019s a good idea to have a structure in place. So it\u2019s worth doing some prep before you head into your session with the team.
Thoroughly preparing for a backlog refinement meeting will undoubtedly help you run a more effective session. By knowing beforehand what’s required of you as a Product Manager, you’ll always be one step ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n1. Review backlog items<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Before stepping into a backlog refinement meeting, you should complete an initial review of the items in the backlog. As a product develops and requirements change, some items in your backlog may not be relevant anymore. It’s your responsibility to remove them. There\u2019s no point wasting time discussing ideas that you know aren\u2019t relevant anymore.
Consider this an initial, independent screening of the backlog before the main deep-dive with the other meeting participants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n2. Prioritize the items with added details<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
It’s not enough to present a list of relevant backlog items in a refinement meeting. You should also have a first stab at a priority order.
By re-prioritizing your product backlog before a refinement session, you’ll save time and help your team focus on the most relevant items that offer the most value to your business. Sure, you can discuss as a team whether you should rejigg the order of your Now column, but at least you won\u2019t be starting from a completely disorganized list of ideas.
To find out more about how best to prioritize your backlog, explore the ProdPad Priority Chart<\/a> to automatically visualize the ideas worth working on or read up on prioritization frameworks<\/a> like MoSCOW<\/a>, Buy-a-feature<\/a>, Cost-of-delay<\/a>, Kano<\/a> and RICE Scoring<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/ProdPad-Prioritization-Framework-eBook-1024x240.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n3. Create a meeting agenda<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Going into a meeting of any kind – not just a refinement meeting – without an agenda is like trying to drive without a map. Yes, you may know the route and where you need to go, but you\u2019re more likely to take a wrong turn and get lost.\u00a0
Having an agenda helps keep everyone focused and on topic, as it provides the blueprint of what will be discussed. An agenda often contains a rough, estimated timeframe for each item, preventing meetings from overrunning.
As the Product Manager or Owner, you should send an agenda before the meeting to set and manage expectations. Include details like the date, team members who should be there, and a running order. If you need help producing a backlog refinement meeting agenda, we’ve got another great template you can use.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Backlog](\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Backlog-Refinement-Meeting-Agenda-Blogs-1024x240.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nWho should attend a backlog refinement meeting?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
When sending out your now expertly crafted meeting agenda, make sure to send it to the right people. Backlog refinement meetings can be complex and, for that reason, run a full hour. If a team member is present when they really don’t need to be, they won\u2019t be happy with you! . To keep your meetings effective, and avoid tanking productivity for people who don\u2019t need to be involved, only invite the necessary people.
The people who should attend are: <\/p>\n\n\n\n- \n
- Development team members (scrum team)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The Scrum Master<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The Product Owner (if you have a separate person with this job title and it\u2019s not just part of your role as PM)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The Product Manager (chairing the meeting)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
If you’re unclear on the differences between some of these roles, we offer more insight about the Scrum Master vs the Product Owner<\/a>, as well as explanation of Product Owner vs Product Manager<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How often should you run a backlog refinement session?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Infographic](\"https:\/\/www.prodpad.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Product-backlog-vs-sprint-backlog-table-1024x619.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n