Refining the backlog and the Definition of Ready
In Scrum, everything revolves around the sprint, a clearly-defined, intensely productive period of time in which the team tackles priorities from the product backlog. But how does the Scrum team (including the product owner) know when those priorities are ready to be addressed? How do you know when it’s time to sprint? This is where the process of backlog refinement, filtered through what’s known as the Definition of Ready (DoR), plays an essential role. Clearly, the Definition of Ready and the refinement process are interdependent. Refinement results in product backlog items that are ready for development, and the Definition of Ready is the criteria by which we can say that refinement has been successful – if a Definition of Ready is at all unclear, you need to revisit the refinement process! This article looks at both the refinement process and the DoR, including their importance to the product development process.
Table of contents
Simply put, what is the Definition of Ready and refinement process?
You’ve heard of the Definition of Done (the actions that must be addressed before a backlog item is considered complete – i.e. the acceptance criteria) but have you heard of the Definition of Ready? To be fair, the DoR is not included in the official Scrum Guide but it is a commonly-used, Scrum-friendly practice that many Scrum teams find focuses their work.
Similar to the Definition of Done, the DoR is a set of agreed criteria. These criteria must be met before a backlog item is ready to be worked on in a sprint. The Definition of Ready is a way of answering the question, are we good to go?
As for the refinement process, this can be described as what must be carried out to ensure that items are ready to be worked on (according the agreed definition).
The importance of the Definition of Ready
The purpose is to ensure a shared understanding of the work to be done during the sprint, and the readiness of backlog items before they are taken up for development. The DoR’s importance can be highlighted as follows:
- Clarity: A well-defined Definition of Ready enables the Scrum team to have clear and concise backlog items.
- Streamlined sprint planning: With a comprehensive Definition of Ready, the team can efficiently plan the sprint, accurately estimate the work, and make informed commitments to stakeholders.
- Enhanced work quality: By adhering to the agreed Definition of Ready, the team minimizes delays and potential rework, consistently delivering high-quality work.
Many Scrum teams and organizations see the Definition of Ready as a crucial concept, contributing to successful outcomes when working in Scrum. The DoR differs according to the type of backlog item under consideration and is agreed by the whole Scrum team (including of course, the product owner).
Typical elements of the Definition of Ready are:
- User value is known and defined.
- Acceptance criteria are defined.
- There are no open questions left.
- Dependencies with other backlog items (or other teams) are mapped and addressed.
- Known risks are properly addressed.
- The backlog item is estimated.
Although the DoR is up to the team, common questions to consider include:
- Is the item clear to all team members?
- What is the business value of the item?
- Can the item be completed within a single sprint? (If not, look at breaking it down into smaller elements).
- When completed, what makes the item ‘done’? (This leads into the definition of done.)
The importance of the refinement process
The Definition of Ready may not be in the letter of the Scrum Guide, but it is in the spirit…
The DoR is implicit in what scrum.org refers to as ‘backlog refinement’, a process of, “…adding detail, estimates, and order to items in the product backlog.”
At Boldare, the refinement process in Scrum plays a vital role in preparing the product backlog for development. It involves several activities that contribute to efficient sprint planning and high-quality deliverables. The key aspects of the refinement process are:
- Regularly reviewing and refining the product backlog to ensure its relevance, prioritization, and alignment with the product vision.
- User research and continuous product discovery, analyzing user needs and behaviours.
- Collaboratively creating new product backlog Items with clear descriptions, estimating their complexity when needed.
- Analyzing and organizing the backlog items based on business value, dependencies, and stakeholders’ needs.
When carried out, the refinement process makes it easy to establish a Definition of Ready for each product backlog item. According to scrum.org, a development team should spend roughly 10% of its time on backlog refinement, preparing the ground for successful future sprints – good practice is to have two sprints’-worth of items refined and ready for working on in order to ensure a steady flow of sprint work.
The benefits of DoR and the refinement process
From the perspective of the product owner and the rest of the Scrum team, the refinement process is a regular, ongoing activity that should result in a shared understanding of the why, the what and the how behind each product backlog Item. It ensures that the product backlog becomes actionable. The key benefits are:
- Empowered development team: By actively participating in the refinement process, the team shows ownership of the product development process and takes accountability for sprint results.
- Effective sprint planning: A well-prepared (refined) backlog feeds into the sprint planning process. The team can plan sprints more accurately, ensure smooth execution and delivery of identified backlog items, and meet the sprint goals.
From the stakeholders’ perspective, backlog refinement enhances a common understanding, between the client and investors and the Scrum team, of exactly what a sprint will realistically deliver. The key benefits are:
- Increased transparency and collaboration: the refinement process encourages transparency of communication between the parties, with stakeholders understanding what they can expect from each sprint. It also provides opportunities for stakeholder feedback and collaboration (although, to be clear, the responsibility for the refinement process and decisions on the Definition of Ready lie with the Scrum team).
- Aligned expectations and risks mitigation: The Definition of Ready provides a shared understanding between the stakeholders and the Scrum team, reducing misunderstandings and ensuring that the final product meets the agreed requirements effectively.
- Faster time-to-market and increased ROI: With an efficient refinement process, the Scrum team can deliver high-quality features faster, resulting in reduced time-to-market, enhancing the stakeholders’ return on investment.
Refining for readiness
All those involved in product development stand to gain from a rigorous refinement process and clear Definition of Ready – sprint-based development work proceeds more smoothly, with clear deliverables, and the resulting digital product is more likely to match the stated product vision and business needs of stakeholders.
Share this article:
