User Stories Develop better products faster and cheaper.

about.me/bartvermijlen

Hi. This is me!

Where did we go wrong?

Projects fail. Many projects fail. But why? How come?

TimeBudgetQualityScope

A project has 4 dimensions. Where do they fail?

TimeBudgetQualityScope

Most of the time, projects are delivered late, and out of budget. Quality is neglected and the product isn’t tested at a sufficient level.

TimeBudgetQualityScope User Stories

The solution for the first three dimensions lies in the fourth dimension. If you define your scope using User Stories, a lot of trouble can be avoided.

User Story:As a (type of user)I want to (goal)so that (reason)

What are User Stories? It’s a specific way to describe pieces of functionality from a user’s point of view. They consist of the type of user, the goal and the reason. This last one is important, as it reflects business value.

User Story:As a cyclistI want to switch gearsso that I can go faster

Example for a bike. Note that the business value is not in the gears but in going faster.

User Story:As a visitor of the websiteI want to submit my email addressso that I can receive the newsletter

Example for a website. Here value is not in the submitting process, but actually getting that newsletter in your mailbox.

3 C’s:

CardConversationConfirmation

(Ron Jeffries)http://xprogramming.com/articles/expcardconversationconfirmation/

A User Story is more than just that sentence. It consists of three C’s.

Card

The Card holds the “as a (type of user) I want to (goal) so that (reason)”. By putting the story on a card, it’s easy to put on a wall, place it on the table, hold it in your hand, …

Conversation

But the real value is not in the Card. The Card is just the fuel for Conversation. User Stories force you to talk about the right things.

Confirmation

A User Story also implies Confirmation. When is a User Story “confirmed”?

ConfirmationAcceptance Criteria

When it’s Acceptance Criteria are met! These Criteria define when a User Story will be accepted as “ready”, how the piece of functionality is tested, what the definition of “done” is for the User Story.

“Those who want the product (software) must communicate with those who will build it.”Mike Cohn

A clear benefit of User Stories is the focus on communication between business and development. The balance between the two is crucial. They are both equally responsible to negotiate the scope.

Stop writing, start talking.

Don’t get caught up in lengthy requirement documents that nobody reads. Don’t think when it’s written down, it’s clear for everyone.

Describe what will happen, but not how it will happen.

Don’t focus on technologies or processes. Describe what must happen for your user.

Focus on users and their actions.

A user has a face. Keep that in mind. When you develop for children or their grandparents, put it in the center.

User centric scope definition

=more time/money for

quality

When you talk about scope the right way, development will go faster, and you’ll end up with more time to invest in quality and testing.

Fast delivery

Obviously you’ll deliver early.

Further reading:

Scrum and XP from the Trenches – H. Kniberg

User Stories Applied – M. Cohn

Read these books. They’re Scrum and XP oriented, but don’t let that get in the way.

Userstorieshq.com

Currently we’re working on a little tool to manage your User Stories. Request your invite for private beta.

@bartvermijlen