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Backlog refinement playbook covering INVEST quality, vertical story splitting, Definition of Ready, and Definition of Done -- with a Python scorer that grades each story against INVEST and emits a ready/not-ready verdict.
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| name | backlog-refinement |
| description | Backlog refinement playbook covering INVEST quality, vertical story splitting, Definition of Ready, and Definition of Done -- with a Python scorer that grades each story against INVEST and emits a ready/not-ready verdict. |
| license | MIT + Commons Clause |
| metadata | {"version":"1.0.1","author":"borghei","category":"project-management","domain":"pm-execution","updated":"2026-06-15T00:00:00.000Z","python-tools":"refinement_scorer.py","tech-stack":"invest, story-splitting, definition-of-ready, definition-of-done"} |
Refinement is the most under-invested ritual in agile teams. Stories arrive at sprint planning oversized, ambiguous, or strategically disconnected, and the team spends planning meetings doing what should have happened the week before. This skill is the refinement playbook: grade stories against INVEST, split them vertically (so each slice ships value end-to-end), and keep a working Definition of Ready and Definition of Done that prevent half-baked work from entering or leaving a sprint.
The skill includes a Python scorer (refinement_scorer.py) that grades each story in a JSON backlog against the six INVEST criteria and outputs a readiness score (0-6) per story. Stories scoring 5-6 are sprint-ready; 3-4 need targeted refinement; below 3 go back to discovery.
This complements wwas/ (Why-What-Acceptance format) and job-stories/ (JTBD format). Either format produces stories; this skill grades them and gets them sprint-ready.
When NOT to use: pure technical task lists with no user-facing outcome (use a simpler checklist); ad-hoc bug triage (different lifecycle); unscoped work (send to discovery/ first).
python scripts/refinement_scorer.py --input backlog.json --format markdown # grade a backlog
python scripts/refinement_scorer.py --demo --format markdown # inspect demo + output
Triage by score: 5-6 promote to Refined, 3-4 discuss and fix the failing criteria, 0-2 send back to discovery.
Load the reference that matches the task — keep this file lean and pull detail on demand:
refinement_scorer.py reference (flags, input JSON, scoring rubric), troubleshooting, and success criteria. Read when running a refinement session or wiring the scorer.In Scope: INVEST grading of individual stories; vertical splitting (9 Lawrence patterns + SPIDR); DoR/DoD templates and enforcement; refinement session structure and cadence; the Python scorer.
Out of Scope: authoring stories from scratch (wwas/, job-stories/); prioritization/sequencing (prioritization-frameworks/); sprint planning/capacity/velocity (../scrum-master/); discovery and problem framing (discovery/); estimation techniques (agile-coach/).
Caveats: INVEST is a heuristic — a 6/6 story can still be the wrong story (pair with prioritization-frameworks/ and discovery/identify-assumptions/). DoR/DoD must be team-authored to be enforced. The scorer grades structural form, not strategic substance.
| Integration | Direction | Description |
|---|---|---|
execution/wwas/ | Receives from | WWAS-format stories enter refinement to be graded and split |
execution/job-stories/ | Receives from | Job stories enter refinement to be graded and split |
execution/prioritization-frameworks/ | Pairs with | Prioritization sets the sequence; refinement makes the top N executable |
discovery/identify-assumptions/ | Sends to | Stories scoring 0-2 are sent back for assumption mapping |
discovery/brainstorm-experiments/ | Sends to | Stories with unvalidated assumptions become experiment candidates |
../scrum-master/ | Feeds into | Refined stories feed sprint planning; refinement quality drives velocity stability |
execution/status-update-generator/ | Indirect | DoD compliance feeds the "what's done this week" section of status updates |
../jira-expert/ | Pairs with | Refined stories become Jira tickets with structured fields and DoR/DoD checklists |