A backlog refinement meeting gets the next one or two sprints of backlog items ready to plan: each one understood, with acceptance criteria, small enough to finish in a sprint, and estimated. The agenda works from the top of the backlog down, and the notes record for each item what changed, its estimate, whether it is ready, and which questions someone must answer before sprint planning.
Best forScrum and agile teams, once or twice per sprint, product owner plus developers
Meeting length45 to 60 minutes, usually mid-sprint
SectionsLast session's questions, items reviewed, acceptance criteria, splits, estimates, open questions, ready list
DateTime60 minFacilitatorScrum master or product ownerAttendeesProduct owner, developers, a tester or designer if the items need themPre-readTop 5 to 10 backlog items, shared the day before
Item
Owner
Time
What we need to leave with
Answers to last session's open questions
Product owner
5 min
Items moved to ready, or still waiting
Walk through top items, one at a time
Product owner
30 min
Each item understood, acceptance criteria written
Split anything too big
Developers
10 min
Smaller items that each deliver something on their own
Estimate
Developers
10 min
An estimate for each item that's clear enough
Ready check and open questions
Facilitator
5 min
Ready list for planning, each open question with an owner and a date
Word MarkdownPastes into Google Docs, Word or Notion with headings and tables intact. Copied. Paste it into your document.
Word MarkdownPastes into Google Docs, Word or Notion with headings and tables intact. Copied. Paste it into your document.
Harrow Lane Tickets mobile team, backlog refinement
Filled-in example
Harrow Lane Tickets mobile team, backlog refinement
DateWednesday, November 4, 2026, 2:00 to 3:00 pmNext sprint planningMonday, November 9 (Sprint 9)AttendeesSofia Marquez (product owner), Ben Achterberg, Kemi Ojo, Paul Rinaldi, Ellie Novak (QA)Notes byKemi Ojo
Open questions from last session
Item
Question
Answer
HL-88 Seat map zoom
Do venues send seat coordinates?
Three of four venues do. Riverside Hall sends section only. Still open.
HL-91 Add ticket to phone wallet
Do passes show the venue logo?
Yes. Venues have sent logo files.
Items reviewed
ID
Item
Acceptance criteria added or changed
Estimate
Ready?
HL-91
Add ticket to phone wallet
Pass shows event, date, seat and QR code. Pass updates if the event time changes.
5
To confirm: not until the pass layout has an owner
HL-102
Request a refund from the app
Too big. Split, see below.
Split
HL-102a
Request a refund for a cancelled event
Button shows only for cancelled events. Request reaches the support queue within a minute.
3
Yes
HL-102b
Request a refund for any other reason
Not written. Depends on the refund policy.
No, see questions
HL-88
Seat map zoom
Pinch to zoom. Selected seat stays highlighted while zooming.
8 (spread was 3 to 13)
No, see questions
HL-95
Show door opening time on the ticket
Time comes from the venue feed. If missing, hide the line.
1
Yes
Splits
HL-102 Request a refund from the app: HL-102a cancelled events only, HL-102b any other reason (waits on refund policy)
Open questions before planning
Item
Question
Who answers
By
HL-102b
What is the refund policy for events that aren't cancelled, and does it differ by venue?
Sofia, with customer support
Nov 6
HL-88
Can Riverside Hall send seat coordinates, or do we draw their map by hand?
Sofia
Nov 6, may slip
HL-88
Paul thinks the map library needs replacing, which explains the 13. Spike first?
Paul
Nov 9, at planning
HL-91
Who designs the wallet pass layout?
No owner yet. Sofia asks the design lead.
Nov 5
Ready for next planning
HL-102a Refund request for cancelled events (3)
HL-95 Door opening time on the ticket (1)
To confirm: HL-91 Add ticket to phone wallet (5), ready only once the pass layout question is answered (Sofia, Nov 5)
Harrow Lane Tickets and everyone on its mobile team are a fictional sample.
Best forScrum and agile teams, once or twice per sprint, product owner plus developers
Meeting length45 to 60 minutes, usually mid-sprint
SectionsLast session's questions, items reviewed, acceptance criteria, splits, estimates, open questions, ready list
FormatsGoogle Docs, Word, Notion, Markdown
When to use this template
Sprint planning stalls because items show up with no acceptance criteria.
Big stories keep spilling across two or three sprints.
Developers see backlog items for the first time on planning day.
Questions people ask
Is backlog refinement the same as backlog grooming?
Yes. Grooming is the older name, and most teams now say refinement. The meeting is the same: clarify, split and estimate the items at the top of the backlog.
How far ahead should a team refine the backlog?
About one to two sprints of work. Going further ahead mostly wastes time, because priorities and details change before the team gets there.
Does the whole team need to attend backlog refinement?
Most teams invite all developers, since they're the ones estimating. Some send two or three people and share the notes. If you do that, rotate who goes so knowledge of upcoming work doesn't sit with one person.