Easy Tech TutsHow to Do Backlog Grooming in Jira
By Impran M N
An unrefined backlog leads to confused sprint planning and half-written stories. Backlog grooming in Jira is about regularly reviewing that list so only clear, prioritized work makes it into upcoming sprints. Here's how to approach it.
01Open the backlog view
Go to your Scrum project's backlog to see all unscheduled issues waiting to be worked on.
02Review and clean up old issues
Close or update issues that are outdated, duplicated, or no longer relevant to the current project direction.
03Add missing detail to unclear issues
Flesh out thin descriptions, acceptance criteria, or estimates on issues that are too vague to work on yet.
04Reprioritize the list
Drag issues up or down based on current priorities so the top of the backlog reflects what should be tackled next.
05Prepare top issues for the next sprint
Make sure the highest-priority issues are estimated and ready to be pulled into sprint planning.
Frequently asked questions
How often should backlog grooming happen?
Most teams groom the backlog weekly or biweekly, often just before sprint planning.
Who should attend a grooming session?
Typically the product owner and a few key team members, rather than the entire development team.
What's the goal of grooming versus sprint planning?
Grooming refines and prioritizes the backlog ahead of time, while sprint planning selects the actual work for the upcoming sprint.
Should every backlog issue be estimated during grooming?
Only the issues near the top that are likely to be picked up soon really need estimates during grooming.
Watch the full walkthrough
The same steps, demonstrated on screen from start to finish.
