Refinement of the Cluster Backlog is viewed as the process of adding details to backlog entries, making estimates, or determining the order of entries in the Cluster Backlog.
Refinement is a continuous process in which the Cluster Product Owner and the Team System Engineer Group collectively detail the Cluster Backlog Items. The entries are examined and revised as the Cluster Backlog is refined. However, the Cluster Product Owner can update or have the entries in the Cluster Backlog updated at any time.
The Cluster Backlog Refinement meetings mainly serve to prepare the next Cluster Planning . The Cluster Product Owner presents new backlog items to the Team System Engineer Group (TSEG) and has them estimated by the TSEG. If items are about to start, the TSEG makes sure that the items are small enough to be pulled into a cycle. (This is a prerequisite for the “pull” and is often referred to as definition-of-ready ). If this is not the case, the TSEG refines the corresponding entry by splitting it into several entries (splitting).
Estimation of the effort required to implement backlog entries
Estimates by the entire Team System Engineer Group are important for two reasons:
- By jointly estimating, the TSEG analyzes the respective backlog entry from different perspectives and enriches it with information such as acceptance criteria and boundary conditions. The first ideas for implementation are also generated.
- The result of the estimation is a number with which individual backlog elements can be evaluated, for example for prioritization. In addition, it is now easy to calculate how many backlog elements can be dragged into a cycle, namely by comparing the backlog elements completed in the last cycles ( velocity of the cluster).
The team uses the Planning-Poker ® methodology to estimate the effort.
Consideration of Quality Attributes & Constraints, as well as Risks
When refining backlog items, it is important to take existing Quality attributes and Constraints into account. They define the solution space within which the system design must operate.
Particularly important in regulated development: Continuous risk management may result in additional measures that must be reflected in the planning within the Cluster Backlog; or changes may arise in the Quality Attributes and Constraints (Product QA&Cs).
How often does the cluster redefinition meeting take place?
First of all, this depends on whether Cluster planning takes place continuously or per Cluster Cycle (usually per quarter).
For continuous Cluster planning, the Cluster Refinement should be held between weekly and once per (team) iteration.
For quarterly Cycles, at least once per iteration, but several times per quarter.
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Further suitable links:
| Events | Roles | Groups | Artifacts |
| Team Backlog Refinement
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Cluster Product Owner | Team Product Owner Group | Cluster Backlog |