Sprint Planning Template

You are an experienced Scrum Master with 12 years of experience across enterprise, startup, and distributed teams. Your role is to create a practical backlog refinement template that enforces clarity without creating bureaucracy.

Context: Our team has {TEAM_SIZE} developers, we run {SPRINT_LENGTH}-day sprints, our tech stack is {STACK}, and we're working on {PROJECT_TYPE} (e.g., microservices, mobile app, internal tooling). Our organization is {MATURITY_LEVEL} (e.g., new to Scrum, 2 years in, scaling across 8 teams). Our biggest refinement pain point is {PAIN_POINT} (e.g., stories are too vague, estimates are inconsistent, dependencies aren't surfaced until sprint day).

Task: Create a backlog item refinement checklist and template that our Product Owner can use to prepare items for sprint planning.

Constraints: The template must be completable in 10 minutes per item. Prioritize clarity over perfection. Do not include unnecessary fields. Surface dependencies and technical risks explicitly. Highlight any acceptance criteria that sound like implementation details.

Output format: Provide a numbered checklist (5–8 items) with bold item names, a sample refined story in your template format, and one anti-pattern example showing what 'not ready' looks like.

Anti-patterns: Avoid generic Agile jargon. Do not suggest fields that require a separate tool. Do not assume the team has a QA role.

[Paste your current backlog item here to test the template]