| name | backlog-grooming-report |
| description | Builds an HTML backlog-grooming report: stale issues, unestimated items, items missing
acceptance criteria, oldest items, items with vague titles, and a recommended grooming
shortlist for the next refinement session. Use when the user asks for a "backlog grooming
report", "refinement prep", "backlog hygiene report", "grooming dashboard", or "backlog
health check".
|
| license | MIT |
| compatibility | Copilot Cowork Frontier with the Jira MCP connector in this package. |
| metadata | {"author":"ESS MCP Demo","version":"1.0.0","demo-audience":"Product Owner / Scrum Master"} |
| cowork.category | Engineering |
| cowork.icon | ClipboardTaskListLtrFilled |
Backlog Grooming Report
What This Skill Does
Produces an HTML backlog-hygiene report for a product owner or scrum master to take into the next
refinement session. Highlights stale items, unestimated items, items missing acceptance criteria,
oldest items, and items with vague titles. Recommends a shortlist of 10–15 items to groom next.
When To Use
- "Run the backlog grooming report"
- "Refinement prep for the next session"
- "Backlog hygiene check"
Do not use for sprint review (sprint-health-deck) or release prep (release-readiness-pack).
Required Connector Tools
get_backloglist_issues (filtered to the backlog)list_epicslist_versionslist_projects
Default Workflow
- Resolve the project / board.
- Pull the backlog, all in-scope epics and versions.
- For each item, compute hygiene flags:
- stale = no update in 60 days
- unestimated = no story points / time estimate
- no-acceptance = empty description OR no AC heading detected
- vague-title = title shorter than 5 words OR contains "fix bug", "TBD", "misc"
- no-epic = not linked to an epic
- Score each item:
flags_count + age_weight. Higher = needs grooming sooner.
- Build the report.
HTML Output Template
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en"><head><meta charset="utf-8">
<title>Backlog Grooming Report — {{project}} — {{date}}</title>
<style>
:root { --blue:#0052CC; --green:#2DA44E; --amber:#D29922; --red:#CF222E; --ink:#1F2328; --muted:#656D76; --line:#D0D7DE; --bg:#F4F8FB; }
body { font-family:-apple-system,"Segoe UI",system-ui,sans-serif; color:var(--ink); margin:0; background:var(--bg); }
.wrap { max-width:1180px; margin:0 auto; padding:24px; }
h1 { font-size:22px; margin:0 0 4px; }
.sub { color:var(--muted); margin-bottom:18px; font-size:13px; }
.grid { display:grid; grid-template-columns:repeat(5,1fr); gap:12px; margin-bottom:18px; }
.kpi { background:white; border:1px solid var(--line); border-radius:12px; padding:14px 16px; }
.kpi .label { color:var(--muted); font-size:12px; text-transform:uppercase; letter-spacing:.04em; }
.kpi .val { font-size:24px; font-weight:600; margin-top:4px; }
.kpi.amber .val { color:var(--amber); }
.kpi.red .val { color:var(--red); }
.card { background:white; border:1px solid var(--line); border-radius:12px; padding:14px 16px; margin-bottom:14px; }
.card h2 { font-size:13px; text-transform:uppercase; letter-spacing:.04em; margin:0 0 10px; color:var(--muted); }
table { width:100%; border-collapse:collapse; font-size:13px; }
th, td { text-align:left; padding:6px 8px; border-bottom:1px solid var(--line); }
th { color:var(--muted); font-weight:500; }
.flag { display:inline-block; padding:2px 6px; border-radius:6px; font-size:10px; font-weight:600; margin-right:4px; background:#FFF1CF; color:#9A6700; }
.footer { color:var(--muted); font-size:11px; margin-top:18px; }
</style></head>
<body><div class="wrap">
<h1>Backlog Grooming Report — {{project}}</h1>
<div class="sub">{{date}} · {{total_items}} backlog items · {{healthy_pct}}% healthy</div>
<div class="grid">
<div class="kpi"><div class="label">Total</div><div class="val">{{total_items}}</div></div>
<div class="kpi amber"><div class="label">Stale (60d+)</div><div class="val">{{stale_count}}</div></div>
<div class="kpi amber"><div class="label">Unestimated</div><div class="val">{{unestimated_count}}</div></div>
<div class="kpi amber"><div class="label">Missing AC</div><div class="val">{{no_ac_count}}</div></div>
<div class="kpi red"><div class="label">No epic</div><div class="val">{{no_epic_count}}</div></div>
</div>
<div class="card"><h2>Recommended grooming shortlist</h2>
<table><thead><tr><th>Issue</th><th>Title</th><th>Age</th><th>Flags</th><th>Suggested action</th></tr></thead>
<tbody>{{rows_shortlist}}</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="card"><h2>Stale items (60+ days, top 20)</h2>
<table><thead><tr><th>Issue</th><th>Title</th><th>Last update</th><th>Owner</th></tr></thead>
<tbody>{{rows_stale}}</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="card"><h2>Unestimated by epic</h2>
<table><thead><tr><th>Epic</th><th>Unestimated</th><th>Total</th></tr></thead>
<tbody>{{rows_unestimated_by_epic}}</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="footer">Generated by Copilot Cowork · Jira MCP · {{generated_at}}</div>
</div></body></html>
Suggested Action Vocabulary
For the "Suggested action" column on the shortlist, use exactly one of:
- Estimate — needs sizing
- Add AC — write acceptance criteria
- Reword — rename a vague title
- Link to epic
- Close as obsolete
- Decompose — too large, split it
Tone
Practical, not preachy. The report is a checklist for refinement, not a critique of the team.
