Let's Talk About User Stories - Mike Cohn

Let's Talk About User Stories - Mike Cohn

Tip # 1: Start with some definitions
A user story describes something a user wants. The story usually follows this template: “As a [type of user], I [want or need or am required to do this thing] so that [I can accomplish this goal].”
An epic is a big user story. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less.
A theme is a collection of related user stories. Some people have introduced the term feature to mean a user story that is big enough to be released or perhaps big enough that users will notice and be happier.
All of these definitions are only useful if they simplify discussion about the product you are developing.
Tip #2: Add the Right Detail at the Right Time
Like Goldilocks and the bears, we don’t want items in the product backlog with too little or too much detail—we want detail that is just right.
If a product owner writes a user story that includes too little detail, the developers won’t know enough during sprint planning to understand what to build. When excessive detail is included, the time and money spent adding that unnecessary detail is wasted.
It’s unlikely a team’s product backlog will be detailed perfectly right off the bat. This means the team will likely have to iterate toward the right amount of detail.
I find it much easier for team members to strike the right balance when they start with too little detail. So start by filling in the user story template with the bare minimum amount of product features and detail, and go from there.
Tip #3: Learn the SPIDR Method for Splitting Stories
One of the most common struggles faced by agile teams is the need to split user stories. I’m betting you’ve struggled with this, because I certainly did at first. That’s why I came up with an easy-to-remember acronym to detail the five different factors that might help you split a story. Spike, Path, Interfaces, Data, and Rules.
I hope these tips help you and your team succeed with agile

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