Backlog Grooming

A company always makes sure that the product they are selling would have a great demand among consumers. Apart from the product making a great first impression to consumer, the company should also hold a good reputation. In this case, a sprint planning meeting is required in order to ensure that the product backlog is on the right track. This prevents hassles and problems in the future transactions of a company.
The sprint planning meeting would take much time if not done with an excellent backlog grooming session. The product owner has the first say on what the agenda will be about and what are the possible ways on how to make the product successful. If you are the product owner, it is necessary to hold the right grooming sessions in order to meet the following:
• Be able to write user stories that are essential in making the product successful in terms of scrum planning and the like.
• Be able to effectively break down long user stories in order to make these easy to use and understand.
• Be able to rewrite user stories that are poorly written. This ensures a right approach to the flow of the sprint planning meeting and the success of the product.
• Be able to efficiently estimate many backlog terms possible.
• Add an exceptional acceptance criteria to the product.
• Be able to go deeper into the backlog do more wide range technical planning strategies.
A backlog doesn’t only make a Sprint Planning Meeting successful but it also contributes proper ideas or deliberation that will happen within the meeting. The ideas or concepts shared by the product owner and the company team would result to a good impact not only to the status of the company’s performance but also to the backlog grooming itself.
Here are few guidelines to able to conduct an excellent backlog grooming session:
• An excellent goal would be good
The product owner must set a goal in order to make the session more interesting and so that would not result to a waste of time. Having a goal would lead to a smooth flow of the meeting.
• Have a proper schedule
Planning a schedule in advance would be result to an effective sprint planning meeting and the company would be able to set adjustments and refining the product is needed.
• Limit employee participation
Limiting the participation of members of the meeting, particularly stake holders is necessary in order not to produce delays or problems in the backlog session. Stakeholders have a few knowledge about the product as compared to the product owner and the team.
The right backlog grooming even in scrum meetings brings no problem or a waste of time on the part of the company members and the product owner. This ensures a most authentic and successful agile approach in deciding what possible user stories can be used or what certain business product plans needs to be made or adjusted in order to achieve on the goal the company wants to achieve.

— Slimane Zouggari