FOREST the Product Backlog

I like to run backlog refinement in a very structured form, making sure to have a flow of user stories that are getting ready for the sprints ahead. So I have created a small mnemonic for a proces, that I run through one user story at a time. It may take a couple of iterations:

• Formulate as a user story, defining who, what and why.

• Order according to priority. And pick from the top when refining.

• Refine, adding acceptance criteria, notes and sketches (input to tasks).

• Estimate relatively in story points using the Fibonacci scale.

• Split according to SPIDR (Spike, Paths, Interfaces, Data/algorithms, Business Rules) if the estimate is too big, according to experience.

• Try according to INVEST (Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, Testable)