Check my backlog tickets for gaps before refinement
A ticket-by-ticket readiness review that flags missing criteria, hidden dependencies, and stories too big to estimate.
The prompt
Review these backlog tickets and tell me which are ready for refinement and what each one is missing.
Tickets: [PASTE TITLES, DESCRIPTIONS, AND ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA]
Our definition of ready: [PASTE - or "use a standard one"]
Team context: [STACK, KNOWN CONSTRAINTS, SPRINT LENGTH]
Check each ticket for:
- A clear user and the value or problem, not just a task.
- Testable acceptance criteria, including error and edge cases.
- Ambiguous words that will cause debate ("fast", "intuitive", "support", "handle").
- Size: likely too big for one sprint, or several stories bundled together.
- Dependencies on other teams, designs, data, or decisions not yet made.
- Missing design links, analytics needs, or permission rules.
- Duplicates or overlap with other tickets in the list.
Return:
1. A table: Ticket | Ready? (yes / almost / no) | Gaps | Fix.
2. Rewritten acceptance criteria for the tickets marked "almost".
3. Questions I need to answer before the session, grouped by who can answer them (me, design, engineering, stakeholder).
4. A suggested order for the refinement agenda.
Do not fill gaps with invented requirements; mark them [DECIDE] or [CONFIRM].
Highlighted [brackets] are blanks to replace with your own details.
Fill in the blanks and use this promptMore Product & UX Design prompts
What to fill in
- PASTE TITLES, DESCRIPTIONS, AND ACCEPTANCE CRITERIA
- PASTE - or "use a standard one"
- STACK, KNOWN CONSTRAINTS, SPRINT LENGTH
- DECIDE
- CONFIRM
How this prompt is built
This prompt follows the RTF structure (Role, Task, Format). RTF tells the model who to be, what to do and what shape the answer should take. It is the quickest structure that still gives noticeably better results than a bare request.
Related prompts
- Review a design or app for usability problemsA heuristic UX review with prioritized issues and fixes.
- Audit a website or app for accessibility (WCAG)Checks against WCAG and gives prioritized, specific fixes.
- Create or audit a design systemTokens, components, usage guidelines, and consistency audits for a design system.
- Check my iOS app for App Store rejection risksPre-submission compliance check against Apple's App Store Review Guidelines.