---
name: minimalist-backlog-refinement
description: Use when a product backlog contains duplicate, oversized, weakly valuable, stale, or unordered stories before selecting a sprint.
---

# Minimalist Backlog Refinement

Resolve the artifact contract from
<plugin-root>/references/artifact-contracts.md. Preserve the consuming
project's existing backlog and story locations.

Reduce the backlog until it represents useful possible work rather than an
inventory of every idea. Refinement changes ordering and shape, not the active
sprint without an explicit decision.

## Review every item

For each story, inspect:

- outcome and user value;
- acceptance criteria;
- cost, risk, dependency, and learning value;
- duplication or overlap;
- whether it is still needed;
- whether it is small enough to select;
- whether it belongs in this product objective.

Apply the minimalist sequence:

1. question the reason for the item;
2. eliminate stale, duplicate, or unjustified items;
3. integrate overlapping items into one coherent outcome;
4. split oversized items into independently reviewable slices;
5. order what remains by value, risk reduction, dependency, and learning.

## Preserve decisions

When removing, merging, splitting, or deferring an item, record:

- original ID or IDs;
- action;
- reason;
- date;
- decision-maker;
- replacement story IDs when applicable.

Do not delete story history to make the backlog look clean. A changed story
keeps its original review and implementation records.

## Gate

The backlog is ready for sprint selection when:

- every remaining item has a clear value and status;
- duplicate and stale work has a recorded decision;
- large items have been split or explicitly deferred;
- dependencies are visible;
- ordering has a reason;
- unselected work remains available without being implied sprint scope.

## Handoff

Pass the ordered backlog and story records to minimalist-sprint-selection.
State what was removed, merged, split, deferred, and why. Do not begin
implementation during refinement.