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Refinement Notes

Refinement notes capture the outcomes of backlog refinement (grooming) sessions.what was discussed, what was estimated, and what decisions were made. They serve as a quick reference for team members who missed the session and a historical record of how stories evolved from idea to ready-for-sprint.

When to Use

• During refinement sessions to capture decisions in real-time
• After refinement to share outcomes with absent team members
• When onboarding new team members to explain backlog context
• Before sprint planning to review what's been refined
• When stories need re-refinement due to time elapsed

When NOT to Use

• You need the stories themselves written -> use deliver-user-stories
• You need a general meeting summary, not a backlog-refinement record -> use foundation-meeting-recap
• You are running the retrospective ceremony -> use iterate-retrospective
• Refined stories need their failure scenarios enumerated -> use deliver-edge-cases

Instructions

When asked to document refinement notes, follow these steps:

1. Record Session Metadata

Note the date, attendees, and duration. This helps track who was part of decisions and when discussions happened.

1. List Stories Discussed

For each story, capture the outcome: estimated points, refined status, key discussion points, and any modifications made to the original scope.

1. Document Questions Raised

Questions that couldn't be answered in the session need owners and due dates. Don't let them disappear.they often block sprint planning.

1. Capture Decisions Made

Record any scope decisions, technical approaches agreed upon, or priority changes. These decisions are valuable context that gets lost without documentation.

1. Note Action Items

Any follow-up work needed before stories are sprint-ready: mockups to create, technical spikes to run, stakeholders to consult.

1. Flag Blocked Stories

Clearly identify stories that can't proceed until blockers are resolved. Include what the blocker is and who owns resolution.

1. Plan Next Session

Note what should be refined next and any preparation needed.

Output Format

Use the template in references/TEMPLATE.md to structure the output. Complete notes fill every template section: Session Info; Summary; Stories Refined; Stories Summary Table; Questions Raised; Decisions Made; Action Items; Blocked Stories; Parking Lot; and Next Session.

Quality Checklist

Before finalizing, verify:

• All discussed stories have outcomes recorded
• Open questions have owners assigned
• Decisions are captured with enough context
• Blocked stories are clearly flagged
• A reader who missed the session can tell each story's outcome and what happens next without asking

Examples

See references/EXAMPLE.md for a completed example.