How do I refine the backlog?

Question
Answer
- Healthy backlog heuristics
Script
Tested by
See also

Backlog refinement operates on the product backlog — the next/=|=deferred and next/=|=deferred/ capture buckets under doc/agile/product_backlog/. For automated orchestration, use the agile-refine-backlog skill (its deep mode also audits inbox/, verifies each capture against the live codebase, and writes a report). For sprint selection specifically, use How do I plan a sprint?.

Question

How do I tidy the product backlog — pruning stale captures, sharpening vague ones, and re-prioritising between next/=|=deferred and next/=|=deferred/?

Answer

List both buckets:

./projects/ores.compass/compass.sh next
./projects/ores.compass/compass.sh deferred

For each capture, apply the VBCD checklist:
- V — Valid? Is the need still real? If the work shipped or the idea's need has gone away, move the file to discarded/ (git mv, :ID: unchanged) with a reason line citing what closed it. Captures have no #+todo state field — the bucket is the state.
- B — Bucket? Does it belong in next/=|=deferred (next version) or next/=|=deferred/ (longer horizon)? Move by renaming the file; :ID: stays unchanged.
- C — Clear? Is the title a complete thought and the description specific enough to act on? Sharpen both in place if not.
- D — Duplicate? Is a similar capture already in the backlog? Merge by absorbing content into the richer one and moving the absorbed one to discarded/ with a "Duplicate, merged into" reason line; repoint any inbound id: links at the survivor.

File new captures that surface during the review:

projects/ores.compass/compass.sh add capture \
  --parent-dir doc/agile/product_backlog/next \
  --slug <slug> \
  --title "<title>" --description "<one-liner>"

Use --parent-dir doc/agile/product_backlog/deferred for longer-horizon items.

Move items between buckets:

git mv doc/agile/product_backlog/next/<slug>.org \
       doc/agile/product_backlog/deferred/<slug>.org

Commit the sweep:

git add doc/agile/product_backlog/
git commit -m "[agile] Backlog refinement — next/deferred housekeeping"

Healthy backlog heuristics

Next bucket ≤ 20 items. More than that signals drift — push low-priority items to deferred.
Every next capture has a one-line #+description a newcomer could act on.
No capture has been untouched for more than two sprints without a decision.

Script

No single script — the agile-refine-backlog Claude Code skill orchestrates this procedure interactively.

Tested by

Manual. Run at the start of each sprint planning cycle or whenever the next bucket exceeds 20 items.