Are refinements a waste of time?

In this article and video, we would like to introduce an important topic, namely refinements (previously often referred to as grooming). You've probably heard this term several times before. In this article, we would like to discuss whether refinements are a waste of time or not.

The term "refinement" comes from the SCRUM framework and refers to the meeting at which the development team and the product owner come together to "refine" the next user stories. This meeting is also referred to as a "backlog refinement". The user stories are reviewed, detailed, questions are clarified and necessary changes are made.

The aim of this process is to prepare the user stories for development so that the team can work on them efficiently.

What does Product Backlog Refinement mean in Scrum?

Until recently, backlog refinements on products were sometimes called backlog grooming in Scrum. This backlog refinement helps to understand backlog stories and entire epics with the team and to assess the complexity. The Scrum teams can use this to plan the sprints in the next step.

Who, how, what and why?

Good requirements always require 4 perspectives: Who, Why, What, How?

Who and why?

The product manager is responsible for the who and why. So: WHO is the user and WHY should we implement the user story?

How?

The development team is in turn responsible for the HOW. How do we implement the user story?

WHAT?

The refinement is about the connection level, namely the WHAT.

So WHAT do we have to create and build in order to create value (WHY) for the user (WHO)?

And that means we do these refinements first and foremost to create a common understanding of WHAT we need to build.

In practice, it is often the case that the PO has perhaps already worked out certain flows together with a designer or has already written down certain requirements. They then sit down with the development team to bring in the technical perspective and discuss the different solution variants.

The whole team should be involved in detail refinement!

When it comes to rough definitions, only a certain part of the team may be involved. Sometimes it is sufficient for the PO, a developer from the team and a designer to meet to prepare the rough requirements.

If, on the other hand, it's really about the detailed refinement, then everyone involved should be there to ensure maximum input. Depending on the position in the team (frontend, backend...), everyone has a different view of things. The task of a development team is to challenge the emerging requirements. If necessary, a stakeholder can also be invited to provide input.

The need for regularity

Our experience shows that good and regular refinements of backlogs, i.e. a fixed schedule, with all those involved help to create a really good understanding of the things that are to be implemented. This minimizes the risk of misunderstandings during implementation.

A waste of time or not?

We can clearly negate the question of whether refinements are a waste of time. In our opinion, refinements are certainly not a waste of time, but rather a time saver and a necessity for the success of the implementation or improvement of your products. Efficient sprint planning and regular product backlog refinement contribute significantly to the preparation for the upcoming sprint by providing detailed user stories and estimates. In addition, the open exchange within the team creates a shared feeling for the product. From our point of view, therefore, a clear: MUST!

‍