Product backlog refinement template

Steps in this flowchart

• New idea or request
• Product Owner adds item to backlog
• Prioritise by value, risk & effort
• In top of backlog for next 2 sprints?
• Leave in backlog & revisit later
• Write user story: as a, I want, so that
• Add acceptance criteria in Given-When-Then
• Refinement session with dev team & QA
• Questions or unknowns?
• Spike or follow-up with stakeholders
• Estimate with planning poker
• Fits in one sprint?
• Split story by workflow step or data variation
• Check dependencies & designs attached
• Meets Definition of Ready?
• Mark Ready in Jira
• Available for sprint planning

How to use this flowchart template

1. Click Open in the editor. The flowchart opens on a new page in FlowDiagram — nothing is uploaded and there is no sign-up.
2. Rename, add or delete shapes and drag them where you want; connectors stay attached as things move.
3. Drop in vendor logos from the library — 1,160 of them, including every AWS, Azure and Google Cloud service icon — or restyle it with the colour and theme controls.
4. Prefer text? Edit the Mermaid source below and paste it in through ☰ → Import diagram (see the Mermaid editor); it imports as an editable diagram.
5. Export to PNG, SVG or PDF, or press Ctrl+L for a link that carries the whole diagram.

Mermaid source

The whole template is the text below. Paste it into FlowDiagram, keep it in Git next to the code it describes, or hand it to an AI assistant to extend.

flowchart TD
  A((New idea or request)) --> B[Product Owner adds item to backlog]
  B --> C[Prioritise by value, risk & effort]
  C --> D{In top of backlog for next 2 sprints?}
  D -->|No| E[Leave in backlog & revisit later]
  D -->|Yes| F[Write user story: as a, I want, so that]
  F --> G[Add acceptance criteria in Given-When-Then]
  G --> H[Refinement session with dev team & QA]
  H --> I{Questions or unknowns?}
  I -->|Yes| J[Spike or follow-up with stakeholders]
  J --> H
  I -->|No| K[Estimate with planning poker]
  K --> L{Fits in one sprint?}
  L -->|No| M[Split story by workflow step or data variation]
  M --> K
  L -->|Yes| N[Check dependencies & designs attached]
  N --> O{Meets Definition of Ready?}
  O -->|No| H
  O -->|Yes| P[Mark Ready in Jira]
  P --> Q((Available for sprint planning))
  E --> C

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