Having a well-refined Product Backlog is key to accelerating value delivery. Refinement of the Product Backlog includes such activities as adding description, order and size to items in the Product Backlog so that they are ready to be pulled into the Sprint Backlog of a future Sprint.
But how does a Scrum team determine if a Product Backlog item is sufficiently detailed and properly sized for a Sprint?
In addition to regular Refinement activities, many Scrum teams use a Definition of Ready, which outlines the criteria a Product Backlog item must meet before being included in a future Sprint. This practice, while beneficial, is not mandatory within the Scrum framework, but rather an optional tool that some teams find useful.
A Definition of Ready can be especially helpful for newer Scrum teams as it clarifies the necessary information for each Product Backlog item, facilitating effective refinement.
But beware!
While helpful, a Definition of Ready should not become a gate that hinders value delivery. For example, I once encountered a situation where a Product Owner received an urgent customer request just before a Sprint. The Product Owner presented this item during Sprint Planning, but the Scrum team refused to pull it into the Sprint because it lacked all of the information outlined in the Definition of Ready. Even though the Scrum team was confident that they could have refined the Product Backlog item and delivered it during the Sprint, they felt that breaking the Definition of Ready was a bad precedent and, on that basis, refused to include it.
This should not have happened. The Definition of Ready is an optional practice and shouldn't be as strictly enforced as the Definition of Done. The Definition of Done outlines all the work required for each Product Backlog item to be considered complete. Items not meeting this definition should not be presented at the Sprint Review, as it reduces transparency and creates confusion about what work is completed. The Definition of Done must be adhered to rigorously; items failing to meet it should not be shown at the Sprint Review. However, the Definition of Ready can be more flexible. If an item doesn't fully meet the Definition of Ready but the Scrum team believes it can be completed within a Sprint, it is acceptable to pull it into the Sprint.
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