Backlog Refinement: 10 Questions to Ensure Your Stories Are Ready

Backlog refinement, often referred to as Backlog grooming, is a critical activity in Agile that ensures the product backlog is in good shape and ready for upcoming sprints. It's a collaborative process where the development team, product owner, and other stakeholders come together to clarify, prioritise, and break down user stories. Effective refinement sessions can dramatically improve a team’s ability to deliver high-quality increments of value in a predictable manner.

But what exactly should you be asking during these sessions?

Here is 10 questions you can ask yourself and the team during backlog refinement to ensure your team is aligned, the backlog is clear, and your next sprint is set up for success.

1. What Is the Goal of This User Story?

The first and most fundamental question to ask about any user story during refinement is, "What is the goal?" Understanding the purpose of a story from the user's perspective ensures that the team is aligned on the value it should deliver. This question helps the product owner articulate the need behind the story, and it enables the team to assess whether the story is worth pursuing.

When asking this question, dig into the specific problem the story aims to solve or the benefit it should bring to the user. If the goal isn’t clear, it’s a signal that the story may need further refinement or that it might not be necessary at all.

2. Is This Story Ready for Development?

A story is only ready for development if it meets the team's Definition of Ready (DoR). This readiness means the story is clear, actionable, and small enough to be completed within a single sprint. During refinement, ask whether the story meets these criteria.

Consider questions like:

• Are the acceptance criteria clear and testable?
• Is the story small enough, or should it be broken down further?
• Does the team have all the information needed to start work on this story?

If a story doesn’t meet the DoR, it may need more work or additional information before it can be pulled into a sprint.

3. What Are the Acceptance Criteria?

Acceptance criteria define what "done" looks like for a story. They provide the team with clear conditions that must be met for the story to be considered complete. During refinement, ask, “What are the acceptance criteria for this story?”

Ensure these criteria are specific, measurable, and testable. They should leave no room for ambiguity, ensuring that both the development team and the product owner have the same understanding of what needs to be delivered. If the acceptance criteria are unclear or too vague, work together to refine them until they are concrete and actionable.

4. What Are the Dependencies?

Dependencies can significantly impact the flow of work, so it’s essential to identify them early during refinement. Ask, “Are there any dependencies for this story?”

Dependencies might include other user stories that need to be completed first, external teams or systems, or even specific resources that the team will need access to. Understanding these dependencies helps the team plan better and avoid surprises during the sprint. If a story has critical dependencies, consider how they can be addressed or whether the story should be reprioritised.

5. How Will We Test This?

Testing is a crucial part of ensuring that a story meets the desired quality standards. During refinement, ask, “How will we test this story?”

This question should be asked in collaboration with testers and developers to ensure that the story is testable and that the necessary testing strategies are in place. Whether it’s through unit tests, integration tests, or manual testing, understanding how a story will be validated helps ensure that it can be delivered with confidence.

6. What Are the Risks?

Every story carries some level of risk, whether it's technical complexity, potential delays, or uncertainty in requirements. Ask, “What are the risks associated with this story?”

Identifying risks early allows the team to take proactive measures, such as adding buffers, seeking clarification, or even deciding to postpone the story if the risks are too high. Discussing risks during refinement helps the team approach the work with their eyes open, reducing the likelihood of surprises during the sprint.

7. Can This Story Be Split?

If a user story is too large to fit within a single sprint, it should be split into smaller, more manageable pieces. Ask, “Can this story be split into smaller parts?”

When splitting stories, ensure that each new story still delivers value and is independently testable. This practice not only makes the stories easier to work on but also helps maintain a steady flow of work, reducing the risk of carrying over incomplete stories into the next sprint.

8. What Is the Priority of This Story?

Understanding the priority of each story is essential for effective sprint planning. Ask, “What is the priority of this story?”

This question should be directed towards the product owner, who is responsible for prioritising the backlog based on business value, customer needs, and strategic goals. Clarifying the priority ensures that the team focuses on the most important work first, helping the product owner maximise the value delivered in each sprint.

9. What Are the Estimated Effort and Complexity?

Effort estimation is a critical aspect of planning and capacity management. During refinement, ask, “What is the estimated effort and complexity of this story?”

This question allows the team to discuss the story's scope and assess how difficult or time-consuming it might be. Techniques like Planning Poker or T-shirt sizing can help the team arrive at a consensus on the effort required. This estimation helps the team gauge whether they have enough capacity to take on the story in the next sprint.

10. Is There Anything Missing?

Finally, before moving on from a story, ask, “Is there anything missing?”

This question serves as a final check to ensure that all aspects of the story have been covered. It’s a prompt to think about edge cases, potential blockers, or any additional details that haven’t been discussed yet. Addressing these points during refinement reduces the chances of encountering surprises later on.

Conclusion

Backlog refinement is not just about breaking down tasks; it’s about ensuring that the team has a clear, actionable, and prioritised backlog that guides the next sprint. By asking the right questions during these sessions, you can ensure that your team is aligned, that stories are ready for development, and that risks and dependencies are identified early.

Effective refinement sessions lay the groundwork for successful sprints, helping your team deliver consistent value and maintain a steady, predictable pace.

Keep these questions in mind during your next refinement session, and you’ll likely find that your backlog is not only better organised but also more reflective of your team’s ability to deliver high-quality work.

Tell me how it goes in the comments!