"The Purpose of a Refinement Session The purpose of refinement is simple: To ensure that the items near the top of the product backlog can likely be completed in the next iteration. That means those items need to be: Small enough to finish in a single iteration, and Sufficiently understood that the team can start work with confidence. Let's explore what that means. Small Enough to Fit"
""Small" is straightforward. The team can't take a large backlog item into an iteration and expect to finish it. Most teams set a maximum size limit for any item they bring into an iteration. I recommend no more than half of the team's velocity. For example, if your team's velocity is 20, you might allow an 8-point item into the iteration, but not a 13-point one. Ideally, items are even smaller-but half the velocity serves as a good upper limit when needed."
Refinement exists to ensure items near the top of the product backlog can likely be completed in the next iteration. Items must be small enough to finish within a single iteration, with a practical upper limit often set at half the team's velocity. Items must also be sufficiently understood so the team can start work with confidence rather than perfect certainty. The goal is to reduce uncertainty to a comfortable level, not to eliminate it entirely. Limiting item size and clarifying scope before planning prevents oversized work from entering iterations and improves predictability.
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