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Program or Solution Backlog refinement process

Program or Solution Backlog refinement process

The following process is based on the thinking in the Program and Solution Kanban system. A scheduled generic series of workshops, starting immediately after each PI Planning, is the key for Product or Solution Management to practice content authority and be well prepared before next PI Planning. These workshops are just continuous touch points in order to keep Product management aligned. Additional work, in between workshops, for exemple with stakeholders has to be done as needed.

Weeks until next PIWorkshopOutcome
10Initiate refinement planning
  • Product management organisation
  • Working guideline for Epics
  • Draft overall goals for at least next PI
  • Agree on ongoing Epics 
  • Populated Business funnel
  • Feeling for candidates in the business funnel
  • Epic WIP-limits for all columns
9Overall goals
  • Anchored overall goals
  • Pull candidates into Epic Review based on overall goal
  • First Epics hypothesis statements
8Review Epics
7Analyse Epics
  • Established Epics in review
  • Pull candidates into Epics Analysis
  • First Epic Business case
6Go/no Go decision
5Understand feature scope
  • Working guideline for Feature
  • Populated Program Kanban funnel
  • Feeling for candidates in the Program Kanban funnel
  • Program kanban WIP-limits for all columns
4Analyse features
3Approve features
2Estimate feature size
  • Program backlog estimated in Feature Points
  • All teams aware
1Final adjustments

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