Borrowing lessons from the Kanban method, we look how to visualize a team’s backlog refinement process using a backlog refinement board – ultimately allowing a team to make work more visible to better meet its Definition of Ready.

1. Getting to Ready
Unhiding Work with a Backlog Refinement Board
Mark Grove
mkgrov

2. Mark Grove
2
Managing Consultant @ Excella / Ten years as Agile Coach
Professional Interests: System optimization / Value delivery / Flow of work
Personal Interests: Amateur astronomy / Photography / Pop & rock music history

3.  Context for Today
Today’s Topics
 Why a Refinement Board May
Be Right for You
 Building and Using a Refinement Board
3
 Refinement Board Examples
 Results and Benefits

4. Getting to :
4
Context for Today
Ready
with a
Unhiding Work Backlog Refinement Board

5. Definition of Ready
Product Backlog items that can be Done by the Scrum Team within one Sprint
are deemed ready for selection in a Sprint Planning event.
- 2020 Scrum Guide
Definition of Ready defines the criteria that a specific user story must meet
before being considered for inclusion into a sprint.
- Brian Will, Agile Coach, Author, “Agile Adoption and Transformation”
5

6. Product Backlog Refinement
Product Backlog refinement is the act of breaking down and further defining
Product Backlog items into smaller more precise items…This is an ongoing
activity to add details, such as a description, order, and size. Attributes often vary
with the domain of work.
– 2020 Scrum Guide
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7. Scrum Framework
Sprint
Backlog
7
Sprint Planning
Sprint Review
*
*
*
*
*
Product Backlog
Sprint
Backlog
Definition of Ready
Increment

8. Backlog Refinement
Unhiding the Work
Sprint
Backlog
8
Done
Doing
To Do
Sprint Backlog
Ready for
Sprint Planning
Col 1 Col 2 Col 3 Col 4 Col 5
Backlog
Definition of Ready
Sprint/Iteration

9. Flow of Work
Flow is the movement of value throughout the product development system.
Optimizing flow in a Scrum context requires defining what flow means in Scrum.
- Kanban Guide for Scrum Teams
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10. Workflow: Unhiding & Visualizing All of the Work
10
Done
Doing
To Do
Sprint Backlog
Sprint/Iteration
Backlog Refinement
Ready for
Sprint Planning
Col 1 Col 2 Col 3 Col 4 Col 5
Workflow

11. Why a Refinement
Board May Be
For You
 Refinement taking place during
the sprint
 Team not knowing “where” they
are in the refinement process
11
 Confusion over “where” team
members are working
 Work Items belong upstream as
part of refinement

12. 1. Confusion over “where” team members are working.
Developer Tester
DBA
Product
Owner Analyst
Scrum
Master
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Done
Doing
To Do
Sprint Backlog
Sprint/Iteration
Ready for
Sprint Planning
Why a Refinement Board May Be For You
Backlog Refinement
Col 1 Col 2 Col 3 Col 4 Col 5

13. 2. Refinement taking place during a sprint.
13
Done
Doing
To Do
Sprint Backlog
Sprint/Iteration
Ready for
Sprint Planning
Backlog Refinement
Col 1 Col 2 Col 3 Col 4 Col 5
Why a Refinement Board May Be For You
 Take the entire sprint to finish
 Not finished at all
 Pulled out during the sprint

14. 3. Work Items really belong upstream as part of refinement.
14
Done
Doing
To Do
Sprint Backlog
Sprint/Iteration
Backlog Refinement
Ready for
Sprint Planning
Col 1 Col 2 Col 3 Col 4 Col 5
Why a Refinement Board May Be For You

15. Why a Refinement Board May Be For You
4. Team not knowing “where” they are in the refinement process.
15
Backlog Refinement
Col 1 Col 2 Col 3 Col 4 Col 5

16.  Identifying
Building and
Using the Backlog
Refinement Board
 Visualizing
 Managing
16
 Using

17. Identifying the Refinement Workflow
• Identify logical sequence of steps
• Capture criteria
• Criteria 1
• Criteria 2
• Criteria 3
• Criteria 1
• Criteria 2
• Criteria 3
• Criteria 1
• Criteria 2
• Criteria 3
• Criteria 1
• Criteria 2
• Criteria 3
• Establish explicit policies
Ready for
Sprint
Planning

18. Visualizing the Entire Workflow
Backlog Refinement
Col 1 Col 2 Col 3 Col 4 Col 5 Done
Doing
To Do
Sprint Backlog
Sprint/Iteration
Ready for
Sprint Planning
Workflow
Definition of Ready

19. Managing the Refinement Workflow
19
Backlog Refinement
Col 1 Col 2 Col 3 Col 4 Col 5 Done
Doing
To Do
Sprint Backlog
Sprint/Iteration
Ready for
Sprint Planning
• Consider NOT managing refinement board by sprint cadence

20. Using the Workflow
20
Done
Doing
To Do
Sprint Backlog
Sprint/Iteration
Ready for
Sprint Planning
Backlog Refinement
Col 1 Col 2 Col 3 Col 4 Col 5
Workflow

21. Refinement
Board
Examples
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22. 22
• Create Epics in
Jira 2.
• Update the
Program Board
• Get it Prioritized
• Identify the impacted
stakeholders
• Work with Architects to find
solution
• Understand Impact to the
Product Team applications
• Split feature into stories
• Add Acceptance Criteria
• Develop GWT statements
and feature file
• Review with the team for feedback
(address schema, mapping doc,
supporting doc, scenarios, Acceptance
Criteria)
• Address the feedback & Update
• Review the story
and size with
team
Refinement Board Examples

23. 23
Refinement Board Examples

24. 24
Refinement Board Examples

25. 25
Refinement Board Examples

26. Refinement Board Examples
26

27. Refinement Board Examples
27

28.  Improved focus of value-based user
stories (significantly fewer task-based
“user stories”)
Results and
Benefits
 Smaller user stories
 Confidently created ”Ready” work items
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 Improved Backlog refinement
coordination and work item
understanding
 Better visibility to bottlenecks or “stuck”
work items
 Refinements more engaging

29. Q & A
29

30. excella.com | @excellaco
Thank you!!
Mark Grove
mark.grove@excella.com
mkgrov