use scenarios for your product backlog

ScenariosAn old approach to user

stories

XP2011

Johannes Brodwall, Storyteller

Steria Norway

”Tell me a story about stories”

(May not be strictly true)

Campfire

Through stories

Community

Understanding

Stories:

Conflict

Heroes

Action

Resolution

User stories

(User stories != stories)

Johannes Brodwall, Storyteller

Steria Norway

”Tell me a story about your

experience”

Use cases

Excited

Deluge of details

Detail is the opposite of value

User stories

Excited

Deluge of details

Shoebox of ”stories”

Or worse: Jira

Third time’s the charm

”Tell me a story about a system”

The story of desire

1. User craves stuff

2. User goes to web shop

3. User finds stuff

4. User puts stuff in shopping cart

5. User enters address

6. User pays

7. ….

8. User gets stuff

1. Conflict (User craves stuff)

2. Trigger (User goes to web shop)

3. Action (User finds stuff)

4. …

5. …

6. …

7. ….

8. Resolution (User gets stuff)

The story of disturbance

1. There is a disturbance in the force

2. Operator becomes aware

3. Power plant has already reported reserves to System

4. Operator finds reserves

5. Operator activates reserves

6. System sends activation request to Power Plant

7. System reports activation to Accounting for payment

8. Balance is restored

That is: Electricity consumption does not match

production

Potentially bad

Appliance destroyed or without power

In other words: Warm beer!

1. There is a disturbance in the force

2. Operator becomes aware

3. Power plant has already reported reserves to System

4. Operator finds reserves

5. Operator activates reserves

6. System sends activation request to Power Plant

7. System reports activation to Accounting for payment

8. Balance is restored

1. There is a disturbance in the force

2. Operator becomes aware

3. Power plant has already reported reserves to System

4. Operator finds reserves in system

5. Operator activates reserves in system

6. System sends activation request to Power Plant

7. System reports activation to Accounting for payment

8. Balance is restored

1. There is a disturbance in the force

2. Operator becomes aware

3. Power plant has already reported reserves to System

4. Operator finds reserves

5. Operator activates reserves

6. System sends activation request to Power Plant

7. System reports activation to Accounting for payment

8. Balance is restored

1. There is a disturbance in the force

2. Operator becomes aware

3. Power plant has already reported reserves to System

4. Operator finds reserves

5. Operator activates reserves

6. System sends activation request to Power Plant

7. System reports activation to Accounting for payment

8. Balance is restored

The impatient story of disturbance

1. There is a disturbance in the force

2. Operator becomes aware

3. System has already retrieved reserves from Legacy System

4. Operator finds reserves

5. Operator activates reserves

6. System reports activation to Legacy System for distributions

7. Balance is restored

”Tell me how the story ends”

Understanding

Plan per sprint

(1 step/variation = 1 feature)

Plan per release

(Scenario in current context)

The impatient story of disturbance

Happy users

Cold beer

1. Conflict: Something happens in the world

2. Trigger: System is triggered

#. Action: User displays info in System

- Variation: Something else happens

#. User enters info into system

#. System gets info from Other system

#. System sends info to Other system

#. Other system sends info to system

#. Other system gets info from system

#. …

20. Resolution: Order is restored

• Understand• Plan sprints• Plan releases

Scenarios for requirements

Johannes Brodwall

jb@steria.no

@jhannes

johannesbrodwall.com