How to Shorten Grooming Sessions: Fast Backlog Refinement
2-hour refinement sessions drain energy. Cut time in half with these tactics:
- Pre-write acceptance criteria: PO prepares stories before session
- Timebox each story: 5-minute timer per story, hard stop
- Defer complex stories: If not clear in 5 min, schedule spike
- Estimate in batches: Group similar stories, estimate all at once
Alignlee's timer feature keeps sessions on track.