EVOLUTION OF A
USER STORY
From Epic to Actionable Sprint Sized Story
David Hawks
CEO of Agile Velocity
Agile Trainer and Coach
Website – AgileVelocity.com
Blog – AustinAgile.com
Twitter - @austinagile
Our team of experts accelerate value delivery by transforming the way your organization thinks about building software.
Agile Austin Education Chair CSM, CSP, PSM, PMI-ACP
Avid Tailgater for UT Games
Transforming Technology Organizations
Three things we wish were true
1. The customer knows what he wants 2. The developers know how to build it 3. Nothing will change along the way
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Source: http://www.projectcartoon.com Copyright © 2012 Agile Velocity, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Source: http://www.projectcartoon.com
Three things we have to live with
1. The customer discovers what she wants
2. The developers discover how to build it
3. Many things change along the way Copyright © 2012 Agile Velocity, LLC. All Rights Reserved. AGILE VELOCITY PROPRIETARY
We leverage User Stories, so that…
Rather than making one all-encompassing set of decisions up front
… we can spread decision making across the project based on the latest information
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Another Challenge we Have…
What is your Definition of Ready? Copyright © 2012 Agile Velocity, LLC. All Rights Reserved. AGILE VELOCITY PROPRIETARY
Too Many Surprises!!
10% of the team’s bandwidth should be focused on preparing for
future Sprints
If we wait until Sprint Planning it is too late to do anything about
it
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Backlog Grooming Session (Recommended Practice)
Goals 1. Determine readiness for next Sprint 2. Break down near term stories 3. Estimate any new stories
Regular cadence weekly or bi-weekly Attended by whole Team and driven by Product Owner
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Let’s take a look at how a Story can evolve iteratively and incrementally
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Story Brainstorm Session
An Epic Story is Identified
Wish List Capability As a shopper, I want to place products on a list to share with my friends, So that they will buy me things I actually want
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The Product Owner fills in some high level notes after the
meeting, being careful not to be too prescriptive allowing for later
conversations.
Wish List Capability As a shopper, I want to place products on a list to share with my friends, So that they will buy me things I actually want • Add product • Remove products • Unique Link • Email to a friend
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Backlog Grooming Session
The Product Owner reviews the Epic with the team to get a Rough
Order of Magnitude Estimate from the Team.
Wish List Capability As a shopper, I want to place products on a list to share with my friends, So that they will buy me things I actually want • Add product • Remove products • Unique Link • Email to a friend
40 points
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Stakeholder Review Meeting
The Product Owner prioritizes in the Portfolio Backlog
Epic 1
Epic 2
Epic 3
Epic 4
Epic 5
Wish List Capability
Epic 7
Epic 8
Epic 9
Epic 10
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Stakeholder Review Meeting
The Epic gets prioritized into a release.
Epic 4
Epic 5
Wish List Capability
Epic 7
Epic 8
Epic 9
Epic 10
Epic 11
Epic 12
}
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The Product Owner makes a first attempt at breaking down the
Epic into Feature Stories.
This may involve discussions with Stakeholders.
New details may appear.
As a shopper, I want to place products in my wish list So that I can share them with my friends
As a wish list user, I want to remove products from my wish list So that My friends don’t buy me something I already have.
As a shopper, I want make a private list So that I can remember items I want
As a wish list user, I want share my list with my friends So that they can buy me stuff I want
As a friend of a wish list user, I want to be able to note products I bought as a gift So that their other friends don’t buy the same product
As a wish list user, I want to control the visibility of my list So that it can be public or private to only people who I have explicitly shared it with
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Backlog Grooming Session
The Product Owner reviews the feature stories with the team. The
team discusses, identifies open questions and provides estimates.
As a shopper, I want to place products in my wish list So that I can share them with my friends
As a wish list user, I want to remove products from my wish list So that My friends don’t buy me something I already have.
As a shopper, I want make a private list So that I can remember items I want
As a wish list user, I want share my list with my friends So that they can buy me stuff I want
As a friend of a wish list user, I want to be able to note products I bought as a gift So that their other friends don’t buy the same product
As a wish list user, I want to control the visibility of my list So that it can be public or private to only people who I have explicitly shared it with
13
5
3
8
3
3
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The Product Owner documents any additional Acceptance Criteria
discussed.
Wish List – Add Product As a shopper, I want to place products in my wish list So that I can share them with my friends • An add to wish list options should appear
on the product details page • If the user is not logged in, prompt to login
or create a new account • Display wish list
13 points
Wish List – Share List As a wish list user, I want share my list with my friends So that they can buy me stuff • Provide a link that they can share • Allow the user to provide email addresses • In the email ask their friend to create a
wish list
8 points
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Stakeholder Review Meeting
The Product Owner prioritizes the new stories into the backlog.
Feature 1
Feature 2
Feature 3
Feature 4
Feature 5
Add Product
Share Product
Remove Products
Friend Update
Private List
Out of Scope:
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Product Owner engages with UX/ Team to start making mockups
Product Picture
Product Title, Price, etc.
Buy Now
Add to Wish List
Product Description. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing
elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et
dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam,
quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut
aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure
dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum
dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint
occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.
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Backlog Grooming Session
Team Discusses Feature Stories with Product Owner and
determines how to break them down into Sprint Sized Stories.
Wish List – Add Product – Logged in As a logged in shopper, I want to place products in my wish list So that I can share them with my friends • An add to wish list options should appear on the
product details page • Once clicked the item appears in their wish list
(validated in the database)
Wish List – Add Product – Not Logged in As a non logged in shopper, I want to place products in my wish list So that I can share them with my friends • Prompt the user to login or create a new account • Once logged in the product should appear in their
wish list (validated in db)
Wish List – Add Product – View List As a wish list user, I want to view my wish list items So that I know what I have in there • Add a wish list link that allows them to see all of
the items in their wish list (product name, price, date added, etc.)
• After adding a product display their wish list
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Product Owner Prioritizes Sprint Sized Stories.
Feature 3
Feature 4
Feature 5
Add Product – Logged In
Share Product
Remove Products
Add Product - Not Logged In
Add Product – View List
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The team starts to prepare to work on the story.
Any dependencies?
Any environments needing setup?
Any new knowledge needed?
Add Product – Logged In
Share Product
Remove Products
Add Product - Not Logged In
Add Product – View List
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Backlog Grooming Session
The Team does one last review with Product Owner to ensure
understanding.
Any last minute questions?
Refine Acceptance Criteria.
Add Product – Logged In
Share Product
Remove Products
Add Product - Not Logged In
Add Product – View List
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Team plans stories in Sprint and begins work. Add Product – Logged In
Add Product - Not Logged In
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Prepare Does the team need anything in place before they can start?
Breakdown Sprint Sized Actionable Stories with Estimates
Detail Flesh out Acceptance Criteria & UX Design. Review with Team.
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Blue
(B)
B1 B2 B3
B1a
B1b
B1c
B2a
B2b
B3a
B3b
B3c
Epic
Feature
Stories
Sprint
Sized
Red (R)
R1 R2 R3
R1a
R1b
R1c
R3a
R3b
R3c
R3d
Example of how two epics might be
broken down. Notice R2 didn’t need to
be broken down any further.
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B2a
B2b
R2
B1a
B1b
R3a
R3b
R3c
R3d
B3
B1c
R1a
Prioritized Backlog Completed
Sprint
1
Released
R1b
R1c
B3c
B3b
B3a
• Here is the prioritized
backlog of stories.
• The first 3 stories are
selected for the
sprint.
• In the meantime B3
is broken down into
sprint sized stories.
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B2a
B2b
R2
R3a
R3b
R3c
R3d
B3b
Prioritized Backlog Completed
Sprint
2
B1a
B1b
R3a
R3b
R3c
R3d
B3a
B3b
Prioritized Backlog Completed
G4a
G4b
G1
Released
• The new B3 stories
are reprioritized
along with new
Green stories.
• Additional stories are
picked up for the next
sprint.
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B2a
B2b
R2
R3a
R3b
R3c
R3d
B3b
Prioritized Backlog Completed
Sprint
3
B1a
B1b
R3a
R3b
R3c
R3d
B3a
B3b
Prioritized Backlog Completed
G4a
G4b
G1
Released
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B2a
B2b
R2
R3a
R3b
R3c
R3d
B3b
Prioritized Backlog Completed
Sprint
4
B1a
B1b
R3a
R3b
R3c
R3d
B3a
B3b
Prioritized Backlog Completed
G4a
G4b
G1
Released
• The first three sprints
are released.
• And the cycle
continues with stories
being pulled into the
next sprint.
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Prioritized Backlog
Sprint Sized and
Ready for Planning (2-
3 Sprints worth)
Bigger stories that are
closer to Sprint Planning
need decomposition, re-
estimation and re-
prioritization
Epics & Uncertainty
Higher Priority & More Detailed
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