What is grooming and how does it differ from planning?

Grooming (backlog grooming) and planning (sprint planning) are different stages in product management and development:

• Grooming (backlog grooming) is the process of regularly clarifying and prioritizing tasks in the backlog. During grooming, the team reviews requirements, clarifies details, estimates tasks, and removes or merges outdated or duplicate items. The goal is to prepare the backlog for upcoming sprints, making tasks clear and ready for work.

• Planning (sprint planning) is a meeting where the team selects tasks from the backlog (already groomed and prioritized) to be completed in a specific sprint. Here, the scope of work is determined, tasks are distributed among participants, and sprint goals are discussed.

In other words, grooming is a preparatory stage, and planning is the stage of selecting and distributing tasks for the upcoming development cycle.