Backlog grooming, often referred to as “backlog refinement,” signifies the same practice. There is no distinction between the two terms, despite some people continuing to use “backlog grooming” to this day.
Why the Change in Terminology?
The term “backlog grooming” was associated with a negative connotation related to an improper practice involving “trapping kids on the Internet.” This usage offended certain individuals in specific regions of the world. Consequently, Scrum decided to adopt a new term, “backlog refinement.”
Hence, it is recommended to discontinue the use of “backlog grooming.”
Understanding the Practice
Product backlog refinement (previously known as backlog grooming) holds immense importance within Scrum. The Scrum Team regularly refines the product backlog to enhance their ability to deliver greater value to customers.
The objectives of this practice include:
- Refining the content of backlog items, often in the form of user stories
- Estimating the effort required for each item
- Organizing items within the product backlog
This is the time when the development team seeks clarifications from the Product Owner to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the requests.
This practice is crucial in preventing excessively lengthy sprint planning sessions. Without proper backlog refinement, a substantial amount of work would be left to the sprint planning meeting.
Conducting Backlog Refinement
Many teams opt to establish a dedicated event for backlog refinement, with frameworks like LeSS formalizing this approach. For instance, a team might allocate two hours every Wednesday for refining the product backlog.
However, creating a new event is not mandatory according to Scrum. The framework doesn’t impose such a requirement. It only recommends that the refinement process doesn’t exceed 10% of the team’s time.
Some teams prefer a more flexible approach, refining the backlog on-demand as needed by the Product Owner. However, this approach has become less common.
Ultimately, the best approach is to let the team choose the format that suits them best.
Useful link: LeSS in French
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