Scrum Master in Backlog Refinement

[Leslie Scantling]

I recently read a blog post from Mike Cohn regarding the backlog refinement meeting and it mentioned including the scrum master. I have always coached product owners that refining the backlog lives under their role/responsibility in our Agile implementation. As the scrum master, I certainly want to ensure the meeting happens, and that planning meetings are well prepared for with a estimated prioritized backlog, but am not fully sure what the purpose of the SM being in physical attendance in the refinement meeting. Can I get some input from members on how they feel a scrum master adds value here?

Regards -

Leslie Scantling

[Madhu Puppala]

I would say SM facilitate the meeting as well as do the following:

1.Right people are present in that meeting 

2.Right questions are asked 

3.Right estimation is done for a specific story

4.Stories are moved to right iterations 

5. Capture meeting minutes if agreed upon trashing any user stories usually evolves in this meeting and send that notes to the team for future reference or ensure documented in the story of story removal.

As a scrum master prior to the meeting you also make sure wireframes are ready if you refer to them in refinement meetings.

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[Mark Levison]

Two items seem odd

On Tue, Apr 7, 2015 at 1:15 PM, Madhu Puppala <madhuba...@gmail.com> wrote:

I would say SM facilitate the meeting as well as do the following:

1.Right people are present in that meeting 

2.Right questions are asked 

3.Right estimation is done for a specific story

4.Stories are moved to right iterations 

​???

​

 

5. Capture meeting minutes if agreed upon trashing any user stories usually evolves in this meeting and send that notes to the team for future reference or ensure documented in the story of story removal.

As a scrum master prior to the meeting you also make sure wireframes are ready if you refer to them in refinement meetings.

​???

Cheers

Mark​

 

On Tue, Apr 7, 2015 at 12:45 PM, Leslie Scantling <teamsc...@msn.com> wrote:

I recently read a blog post from Mike Cohn regarding the backlog refinement meeting and it mentioned including the scrum master.  I have always coached product owners that refining the backlog lives under their role/responsibility in our Agile implementation.  As the scrum master, I certainly want to ensure the meeting happens, and that planning meetings are well prepared for with a estimated prioritized backlog, but am not fully sure what the purpose of the SM being in physical attendance in the refinement meeting.  Can I get some input from members on how they feel a scrum master adds value here?

Regards -

Leslie Scantling

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[Mark Levison]

The Scrum Guide merely says: 

"Product Backlog refinement is the act of adding detail, estimates, and order to items in the Product Backlog. This is an ongoing process in which the Product Owner and the Development Team collaborate on the details of Product Backlog items. During Product Backlog refinement, items are reviewed and revised. The Scrum Team decides how and when refinement is done. Refinement usually consumes no more than 10% of the capacity of the Development Team. However, Product Backlog items can be updated at any time by the Product Owner or at the Product Owner’s discretion."

​Here are two blog posts I wrote to illustrate some of how it might happen:

http://agilepainrelief.com/notesfromatooluser/2014/05/scrummaster-tales-product-backlog-refinement-in-action.html

http://agilepainrelief.com/notesfromatooluser/2013/11/lifecycle-of-a-user-story.html

​

​Each team finds its own path so please take these as ideas and not final answers.

Cheers

Mark​

On Tue, Apr 7, 2015 at 12:45 PM, Leslie Scantling <teamsc...@msn.com> wrote:

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[George Dinwiddie]

Leslie,

I would say it depends on the skills and abilities of the scrummaster.
I've known some that were good facilitators, and would be excellent to
have assisting a Three Amigos meeting. I've known others that would
provide no value there. As you say, making sure the meeting happens is
generally considered part of the scrummaster's job.

- Geoge

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* George Dinwiddie * http://blog.gdinwiddie.com
Software Development http://www.idiacomputing.com
Consultant and Coach http://www.agilemaryland.org
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[Leslie Scantling]

I am fortunate to have very good, technical and vested Product Owners who provide very strong leadership (with teams) iin owning backlogs and their validity. I have never attended backlog refinement, but have always said I am available to do so if needed. I always look at the results and strength of the teams performance based on their retrospective, and if I find things amiss, I go upstream from there to the preparation that was done (or not) in the backlog refinement meetings. So, George and Mark, I believe we are on the same page.

Thanks for your input!

[Alan Dayley]

- The Scrum Master is a member of the Scrum Team.
- I would expect the entire Scrum Team to help with refinement, at least some of the time.
- Therefore, the Scrum Master should often be part of refinement work.
- When at the meeting, the Scrum Master can find ways to contribute, facilitation or otherwise.

(This question is part of a theme that is becoming more common in my experience. People are trying to find reasons that the whole team does not need to work as a team. Better to resolve the pressures and reasons for keeping the team members separate than find justifications for being less of a team.)

Alan

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[Ram Srinivasan]

From https://www.scrumalliance.org/why-scrum/core-scrum-values-roles

Product backlog refinement (activity)

 

Product backlog items are often large and general in nature, and they can come and go as priorities change. Because of this fluid environment, product backlog refinement is an ongoing activity throughout a Scrum project. When you refine the product backlog, you:

• Confirm the order of the product backlog items

• Remove or demote items that no longer seem important

• Add or promote items that come up or become more important

• Split larger items into smaller items

• Merge smaller items into larger items

• Estimate items

• Identify which items are sprint-ready

Product backlog refinement is an excellent way to prepare for upcoming sprints. During this process, you give special attention to selecting items coming up for the next sprint. Things to consider include:

• Each item for the sprint should represent an increment of "business value."

• The development team needs to be able to build each item within a single sprint.

• Both the stakeholders and the entire Scrum team need to be clear on what is intended.

Depending on the nature of the product, other skills and inputs may be needed. That's why product backlog refinement is really a responsibility of all team members, not just the product owner.

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[Mark Levison]

On Tue, Apr 7, 2015 at 2:45 PM, Leslie Scantling <teamsc...@msn.com> wrote:

I am fortunate to have very good, technical and vested Product Owners who provide very strong leadership (with teams) iin owning backlogs and their

​Plural? So how many teams do you support? Are you really the SM or a coach?

If you really are the SM I would expect you to attend most PB refinement sessions.

If you coach multiple teams I would expect you to attend some PB refinement sessions.

​

 

validity.  I have never attended backlog refinement, but have always said I am available to do so if needed.  I always look at the results and strength of the teams performance based on their retrospective,

​PB refinement is not about the "​

strength of the teams performance 

​" so I find this phrase odd.

Cheers

Mark​