Product Backlog Refinement Flashcards

The Scrum Guide recommends that Product Backlog refinement consume no more than what percentage of the Developers' capacity?

Answer: 10%

The Scrum Guide states refinement usually consumes no more than 10% of the Developers' capacity.

Which of the following is NOT an activity that occurs during Product Backlog refinement?

Answer: Accepting completed Sprint items

Sprint acceptance is part of the Sprint Review, not Product Backlog refinement.

A Product Owner wants to split a large user story during refinement. Which INVEST criterion most directly guides whether the split was done well?

Answer: Valuable

Each split story must still deliver independent value to users or the business, satisfying the 'V' in INVEST.

During a refinement session, the team realizes a backlog item depends on an external API that may not be ready. What is the most appropriate response?

Answer: Flag the dependency, note it on the item, and address it with the Product Owner during ordering

Dependencies should be surfaced, documented on the item, and factored into backlog ordering so the team can plan around them.

A 'spike' added to the Product Backlog during refinement is best described as:

Answer: A time-boxed research or investigation task to reduce uncertainty

A spike is a time-boxed activity used to gain the knowledge needed to estimate or implement a story.

Which technique is specifically designed to help teams split large user stories into smaller, deliverable pieces during refinement?

Answer: Story slicing (thin vertical slices)

Thin vertical slicing cuts across all layers of the system to deliver a small but complete piece of functionality.

Who is ultimately responsible for ensuring the Product Backlog is refined sufficiently so Sprints can be planned?

Answer: The Product Owner

The Product Owner is accountable for Product Backlog management, including ensuring items are sufficiently refined.