Backlog preparation is a continues activity, essentially it will not and should not depend on sprint planning, agile methodology, engineering team’s efforts, availability and architecture. It is an unbiased activity which drives the rest. Functionality must be determined to trigger all other activates. So, keep preparing, modifying until the better version is ready. Product manager / product owner may not have 100% control over features to be injected into the product as customer’s expectation drives often. However, backlog preparation is in product owner’s hands.

When features are from different sources, what is backlog? Backlog is the collection of activities or piece of work or sub features which demonstrate engineering team that should be developed. The more granular and clear backlog can create the right expectation of a product. Defining features indicates the vision. However, preparing backlog indicates the execution. A feature can be defined with domain knowledge but backlog can be prepared purely based on product knowledge. I would say

1. Defining feature is: Selecting a menu to serve.
2. Preparing backlog is: Preparing the recipe to cook.
3. Engineering: Cooking the dish.

The more granular and clear the more easy to groom. So, to me, grooming is part of your backlog preparation.

Find a right tool

An automated tool helps organizing the backlog in an effective way. Apparently, backlog too has a life cycle from Open–> Development–> Testing–>Integration–>Validation–>Acceptance. Eventually, to get the life cycle organized, to avoid manual process, to have accuracy, a tool is imperative to automate the process. I would suggest JIRA to organize.

Prepare a functional flow

Functionality is the flow of events or the flow which generates an outcome. If the flow of events are not clearly determined, the outcome will be aligned with engineering team’s expectation not the product manager expectation. The Product manager is the only person to define how to work. A crisp title, 4-5 steps of description with an unclear validation will never develop the product right.

Define the impact

Each backlog item should define the impact on other features. The impact on other features may be positive or negative or enhancement or betterment or rebuilding. However, defining the impact helps engineering team to understand their depth and bounders. It helps to minimize the percentage of bugs and right integrated features to be developed.

Define the validation

Verification is the process to test whether it right feature developed or not, validation is certifying the product per expectation. So, I would suggest to be part of verification and validation either. Now, what is validation for each backlog item? It is defining the clear expectation where to complete engineering.

1. Verification is UAT (User acceptance testing)
2. Validation is known as exit criteria.

Grooming

All set to groom. Grooming plays vital role for engineering. The tool has been identified to organize the backlog, business flow is ready to set the expectations clear, impact has been prepared to letting the engineering team about risks and integration. Validation is to say where to stop the work of engineering. All you need to do is open up the tool and explain the features and set the expectation. Finally, your presentation skill matters.

Another good read

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