How do you refine your backlog remotely?

Visualization of work-items is one of the crucial part of refinement. We use TFS to manage the stories and control their flow. However, we use concept boards for visualization. This helps to visualize entire Feature/Epic and stories contributing to it in one go. Team gets idea of how their work-item affects entire feature. We get to draw dependencies as well and then we put everything down in TFS. In my opinion, for remote refinement, Concept-boards are great addition.

Refining a backlog remotely involves using collaborative digital tools like Jira or Trello. Conduct regular video conferences with the team to review and prioritize items, clarify requirements, and ensure a shared understanding. Encourage open communication, gather feedback, and maintain a well-organized backlog for efficient remote development.

It is important of having the entire Scrum team available for Product Backlog refinement and the need for a tool that facilitates communication and collaboration, particularly with visual effects and video conferencing capabilities for effective remote refinement sessions. for e.g. Trello or Jira, both tools offer features for organizing and prioritizing backlog items, assigning tasks, and tracking progress. Additionally, both platforms support integrations with video conferencing tools such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams, which can enhance remote collaboration during refinement sessions.

While choosing the right tools it's important that it has, selected after considering the project scope/complexity. It has the customization feature so that it can be modify to adapt the project requirements. Also check the user friendly level of the tool and its compatibility with os/browsers so that team members and stakeholders will not be facing any technical issue. Costing is also one of the factor to be considered while finalizing the tool for backlog refinement. Obtaining feedback and reviews from the team and stakeholders, ensures that the tool not only meets technical requirements but also aligns with the preferences and working styles of the individuals who will be using it.

L'affinement du backlog à distance nécessite une adaptation méthodique des processus Scrum. L'utilisation d'outils de collaboration en ligne est cruciale pour organiser des sessions de raffinement du backlog, où l'équipe peut discuter des exigences, clarifier les points d'incertitude et évaluer la complexité des éléments. La communication asynchrone, via des plateformes de messagerie ou des outils de gestion de projet, permet des discussions continues et la prise de décisions, même en l'absence de réunions en temps réel. En intégrant régulièrement des sessions de raffinement dans le planning, l'équipe maintient une vision actualisée du backlog, facilitant une planification de sprint précise

In all your preparation efforts, remember that each backlog item is a narrative to help people understand the required change, leading them to see the solution without any ambiguity. This means having a concise title, a well-detailed user story, acceptance criteria, and any necessary resource providing additional traceability context. The goal of the user story is to help the team determine the who, what and why. In my experience, it is best practice to work with the team to ensure that each of these is Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Small, and Testable (INVEST). Remember, there is no monopoly on wisdom and understanding - welcome your team to review before the session, so that they can come with questions, comments, and ideas.

During sessions of scrum with teams, engaging the team is essential as such meetings are supposed to be brief and concise. Staying focused is key! Setting a clear agenda is very helpful to members as they are aware of what to expect in sessions held.

For effective facilitation, predefine the expected outcomes/objectives; doing this will help in setting a clear agenda and drive a focused engagement. Since it is a remote session, ensure that the team members have a copy of the defined backlogs, and share your screen when presenting or making changes. As simple as it might sound, this is not an opportunity to enforce your perspectives, so listen more than you speak (you will know when to), and allow yourself to see the brilliance in your team members' perspectives. As the leader and facilitator, be attentive to the team's energy and engagement, and be prepared to steer the conversations back on course when necessary.

Continuous improvement is at the core of agile methodologies, including Scrum. Just like in Retrospectives and Review events, encourage the team members to provide feedback, and improve on these going forward. At this phase, the goal is not just to refine a backlog but to continuously enhance the team's ability to deliver value efficiently.

Every team has words that signal importance. Search for existing stories which include those words, and add dates and tag owners to them. In addition, search for and remove stories that are not tagged and do not have deadlines. That will help everyone focus on the stories that are important and improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the backlog.