User Story Readiness - Product Backlog Item Review

Описание: In Agile, user stories don’t need to be “finished” in the traditional sense before development, but they must be in a ready state so teams can work without delays. This is achieved through a Definition of Ready (DoR)—a checklist that ensures stories have enough clarity, acceptance criteria, and alignment with business goals before being pulled into a sprint. Without this readiness, teams risk confusion, misinterpretation, and rework.

Readiness also depends on activities like backlog refinement, where the Product Owner, developers, and testers collaborate to break down large stories, clarify requirements, and confirm dependencies. Stories should be small enough to complete within a sprint, clearly testable, and connected to higher-level business objectives. Acceptance criteria and testability are especially critical since they define how success will be measured and prevent last-minute surprises during development.

Frameworks like the INVEST model (Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, Testable) help teams validate whether a story is truly ready. By applying DoR, refining backlog items, and ensuring business alignment, teams reduce risks, improve predictability, and accelerate delivery. The goal isn’t to make stories “complete” upfront but to make them ready for development, ensuring the team can deliver value confidently and efficiently.