/

A/B Testing

Backlog Grooming

Refining and prioritizing backlog items for development

Backlog Grooming, also called backlog refinement, is the ongoing process of reviewing, clarifying, estimating, and prioritizing items in the product backlog to ensure the team always has well-defined work ready for upcoming sprints. This collaborative activity keeps the backlog healthy, relevant, and actionable. During grooming sessions, the product owner, scrum master, and development team review upcoming backlog items, break down large stories into smaller ones, add detail and acceptance criteria, estimate effort, identify dependencies, and remove obsolete items. The goal is ensuring the top of the backlog contains sprint-ready stories. Key grooming activities include adding detail and acceptance criteria to stories, breaking epics into manageable user stories, estimating story points or effort, identifying technical dependencies and risks, removing or archiving outdated items, and reordering based on changing priorities. Effective grooming typically consumes five to ten percent of the team's time and happens continuously rather than in single marathon sessions. Teams often hold dedicated refinement sessions mid-sprint to prepare for upcoming sprint planning. Well-groomed backlogs reduce planning meeting duration, minimize mid-sprint surprises, and improve estimation accuracy. Product managers should facilitate grooming while encouraging team participation and technical input.

Understand Backlog Grooming in Agile product management. Learn how regular refinement ensures development-ready stories and clear priorities.