backlog-grooming

name	Backlog Grooming
description	Dedupe, split, age out, and ready the backlog so the order at the top means something.
category	Product

Backlog Grooming

A backlog nobody trims is a list of things the team has agreed not to do. This is the pass that keeps it honest.

When to use

• The weekly review.
• Before any prioritization call, so the call is made over a real list.

Steps

1. Dedupe — merge items describing one problem, and say in the survivor what was folded into it.
2. Split — anything that cannot finish in one pass is a theme, not an item.
3. Age out — close what has had no signal in months, with the reason and the date. Close, never delete.
4. Ready — apply [[Definition of ready]] and record which criterion each unready item fails, and who can supply the missing piece.

Output

A short pass report — in, merged, aged out, newly ready, and the two or three items stuck on something only a human can supply. Not a dump of the list.