How to run a backlog refinement session in TeamRhythm

Easy Agile TeamRhythm provides a highly visual way to visualise and organise your backlog in Jira. This page walks you through all the functionality you need to run a refinement session using the User Story Map view in Easy Agile TeamRhythm.

A Birdseye view of your Backlog

This is an 'unfiltered' User Story Map view for a Banking App.

This view allows us to see all the issues and Epics in a team's Agile Board in Jira.

Issues without Epics panel opened on the User Story Map

The backlog icon in the top right hand corner of the page, displays all of the issues that are not associated with an Epic in a team's Agile Board.

Opening this panel, allows us to see a view of all of the issues associated with a team's Agile Board (whether they have been linked to an Epic or not).

Break Down Large Pieces of Work

Sometimes, a user story is too large to complete as one task. Breaking stories down into smaller pieces is simple with the 'quick create' feature.

To create new issues on the User Story Map, hover over the space you wish to create a new issue. Click on the [+] button.

Breaking down work on the User Story Map

Split your Backlog into Sprints or Versions

The User Story Map can be sliced horizontally by swimlanes. Depending on whether you’re using a Scrum or Kanban Board, these horizontal slices can be changed to show the Sprints from your Jira backlog, or Versions from your Releases page in Jira.

Toggling on Sprint Swimlanes on the User Story Map

I: Prioritising the Backlog using the User Story Map

Stories are prioritised by a range of value metrics, whether that be to the user or based on business value.

We can prioritise issues on the User Story Map in two ways:

Drag and Drop

Quick Actions Menu

II: Prioritising the Backlog using the User Story Map

We can also prioritise issues from our team's Agile Board that are not linked to Epics in the 'Issues without Epics' panel.

These issues should also be prioritised by value.

Simply drag and drop these issues either inside the 'Issues without Epics' panel, or across onto the User Story Map to link them to an Epic and prioritise them within a Sprint or Version.

Scheduling issues from the issues without Epics panel

Refining the Summary and Estimate of Issues

The ability to inline edit the estimate and summary of an issue is simple on the User Story Map. Simply click on the summary or estimate and begin to type.

Updating issue estimates and summaries on the User Story Map

Adding more context to your issues

Add more context or requirements to your issues during your refinement session by popping the issue view by clicking on any issue key.

Using the Issue View on the User Story Map