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Product Backlog Refinement also referred to as Product Backlog Grooming, is a method for keeping the backlog updated, clean and orderly. It is a basic process in Scrum. PBR is a collaborative discussion process that starts at the end of one sprint to confirm whether the backlog is ready for the next sprint. Let's take a pause and read about scrum interview questions first.
A backlog can be defined as a set of user stories that are not present in the current sprint that defines the project’s scope context. The stories which are left unattended may interfere with the functioning of the development team. When this happens, the status of user stories will not be clear, and even the team can lose focus and fail to deliver within the project completion date.
The backlog grooming meeting is attended by the scrum master, who facilitates everything for team members, the team, and the product owner. They decide among the top items from the product backlog. The team comprises mainly developers, testers, and scrum masters. The team can raise queries during the sprint planning session if they find any unresolved issues. The expected doubts can arise in the following forms :
For the product owner, it will be easy to get a conclusion over the queries, by asking these questions in the early stages. If there is a question that is unanswered by too many people, it is time to make some changes in your backlog items by curating higher priority items to the top of the list and assigning the highest priority to the unanswered questions.
A lot of time is saved at sprint planning meetings if the backlogs are well maintained. If the backlog item is clearly specified in the acceptance criteria and cross-checked properly by the team members, the planning process can be accomplished prior to the meeting. PBR offers the team members the opportunity to interact with each other regarding stories.
PBR and its sessions are important mainly due to the following features-
The Product Backlog grooming can be made effective if the following aspects are considered-
After the product backlog refinement meeting, the team can update the Product Backlog items in the line, based on the discussions held. Finally, you can get a potentially shippable product, ready to be deployed in the market.
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