Nexus Events
Cross-Team Refinement
Dependency reduction · Timebox: ~10% of Sprint capacity
Overview
Cross-Team Refinement is where dependency reduction happens. The Product Backlog must be understood at a level where dependencies can be detected and minimized. Teams refine together for items that span multiple teams, and independently for team-specific items.
Event Ownership
Owned / Facilitated By
Product Owner (priority guidance) / NIT (dependency detection) / Teams (refinement work)
PO ensures top items are being refined with dependency information visible
NIT facilitates cross-team refinement sessions for items that involve multiple teams
Teams do the actual refinement: understanding, estimating, splitting, and dependency analysis
NIT coaches teams on identifying and designing away dependencies during refinement
Who Should Be Present
Cross-Team Refinement
Representatives from teams that will likely work on related items. PO provides priority context. NIT guides dependency analysis
Single-Team Refinement
One team refining items specific to their upcoming work. Standard Scrum backlog refinement
Product Owner
Available for priority questions. Ensures refined items have dependency indicators for Sprint Planning
NIT Members
Facilitate dependency detection. Help teams identify integration strategies and item decomposition that reduces coupling
Preparation Checklist
01PO: Identify items needing cross-team refinement in upcoming 2–3 Sprints
02NIT: Analyze recent dependency patterns to focus refinement on high-risk areas
03Teams: Review items before refinement sessions
04NIT: Prepare cross-team refinement facilitation materials