Tutorial
Use the backlog refinement board
Turn rough issues into discussed, estimated, sprint-ready work — on a dedicated board with a clean hand-off to poker and the sprint.
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Sprint planning drags when half the issues still need explaining. The refinement board is the place before that: where a two-line note becomes a card somebody can build next week. It belongs to the Developer plan.
What you need
- The Developer plan — see pricing.
- A backlog with issues that need more context.
- 15–30 minutes with the team, regularly.
1. Check your plan
The refinement board is part of the Developer plan's agile layer, together with the backlog, poker and sprints.
2. Open the refinement tab
Next to the group's backlog sits the Refinement tab. It is its own board with one clear meaning: what lies here is being prepared — not built.
3. Pull in the unrefined issues
Bring in the issues you want to discuss in the next session. Unrefined ones by default; optionally also refined or already-planned ones when something changed. The rest of the backlog stays put — the refinement board is a selection, not a move.
4. Drag into working order
Sort the list into the order you want to work through: most important on top. When time runs out — and it always runs out — the important things got discussed rather than whatever happened to be first.
5. Fill in each card full-screen
Each card opens full-screen and you complete it together: description with acceptance criteria, type, priority, epic, custom fields. Rule of thumb: whoever picks this card up in four weeks must not need to ask a question.
6. Hand over
At the end of the discussion the path forks:
- Non-bugs go to planning poker — they need an estimate.
- Bugs count as ready directly. Their estimate would be a guess: the effort hides in the cause, and you only learn the cause while fixing.
"Ready" arises four ways: poker adopts an estimate, someone writes story points directly, a bug passes refinement, or someone sets it by hand. Only being pulled into a sprint clears it — nothing else, and never automatically. Ready cards collect in the "ready for sprint" tab, which planning then draws from.
Troubleshooting
- No refinement tab. The Developer plan is required.
- A card counts as ready but is not. Someone wrote story points or set it by hand. Unset it by hand and discuss again.
- The board overflows. Too much pulled in. Refinement is a selection for the next session, not a second backlog.
Next steps
FAQ
What is the difference between refinement and the backlog?
The backlog is the stockpile — everything that might matter someday. The refinement board is the workbench: the handful of issues you want to discuss, complete and estimate now.
Why do bugs skip estimation?
Because a bug estimate is usually a guess: the effort hides in the cause, and you only learn the cause while fixing it. A bug that has passed refinement therefore counts as ready directly.
Where does a ready card end up?
In the third tab — “ready for sprint”. Planning pulls from there, one by one or as a multi-select.
What makes a card “ready”?
Four routes: poker adopts an estimate, someone writes story points directly, a bug passes refinement, or someone sets it by hand. Only being pulled into a sprint clears it — nothing else does, and never automatically.
Which plan?
The Developer plan — refinement is part of the sprint layer.