Backlog Grooming or Backlog Refinement – what, how, when?

Backlog grooming, also known as backlog refinement or story time, is a crucial process in Agile Scrum for managing the product backlog [Agile Alliance]. It’s a recurring event where the product owner, development team, and other stakeholders (if needed) come together to review, discuss, and prioritize items in the backlog.

Here’s why it’s important:

• Keeps the backlog healthy: Backlogs can easily become cluttered with outdated or irrelevant items. Grooming sessions ensure the backlog reflects current needs and priorities.
• Improves sprint planning: By refining the backlog, the team prepares the top items for the upcoming sprint. This leads to more focused and realistic sprint planning sessions.
• Enhances communication and collaboration: Backlog grooming fosters discussions between the product owner and the development team. This clarifies user stories, reduces ambiguity, and aligns everyone on the product vision.

The term “backlog grooming” itself is being phased out by some due to its negative connotations. “Backlog refinement” is a more widely accepted term these days [Agile Alliance].

While the specific terminology might evolve, the core practice of keeping the backlog up-to-date and preparing it for upcoming sprints remains a cornerstone of Agile Scrum.

History of Backlog Grooming or Backlog Refinement

The history of agile scrum backlog grooming can be traced back to the early days of the Scrum framework. In 2005, Mike Cohn, a leading Scrum expert, first mentioned the term “backlog grooming” on the Scrum development mailing list. At the time, it was simply a way to describe the ongoing process of reviewing and refining the product backlog.

In 2008, Kane Mar, another Scrum expert, published a blog post titled “Story Time”, which provided a more formal description of backlog grooming. Mar defined backlog grooming as “the process of refining the product backlog so that it is clear, concise, and prioritized.” He also recommended that backlog grooming be done on a regular basis, such as once a week.

In 2011, the Scrum Guide was updated to include backlog grooming as an official part of the Scrum process. The Scrum Guide defines backlog grooming as “a collaborative process between the Product Owner and the Development Team to add detail, estimates, and order to the Product Backlog.”

Since then, backlog grooming has become an essential part of the Scrum process. It is now used by many teams around the world to help them ensure that they are working on the right things in the right order.

Here is a timeline of the key events in the history of agile scrum backlog grooming:

• 2005: Mike Cohn first mentions the term “backlog grooming” on the Scrum development mailing list.
• 2008: Kane Mar publishes a blog post titled “Story Time”, which provides a more formal description of backlog grooming.
• 2011: Backlog grooming is added to the Scrum Guide as an official part of the Scrum process.

Today, backlog grooming is a widely adopted practice by Scrum teams. It is a key part of ensuring that the product backlog is well-organized, prioritized, and ready for development.