EVOLUTION OF A USER STORY - 2012conf.agileaustin.org2012conf.agileaustin.org/sites/default/files/Evolution of a User Story.… · The Product Owner makes a first attempt at breaking

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

Copyright © 2012 Agile Velocity, LLC. All Rights Reserved. AGILE VELOCITY PROPRIETARY

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


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


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


Let’s take a look at how a Story can evolve iteratively and incrementally


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


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


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


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



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

}

Rel

ease

2 S

cop

e


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



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


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



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:


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.



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


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


The team starts to prepare to work on the story.

Any dependencies?

Any environments needing setup?

Any new knowledge needed?


Share Product

Remove Products





The Team does one last review with Product Owner to ensure

understanding.

Any last minute questions?

Refine Acceptance Criteria.


Share Product

Remove Products




Team plans stories in Sprint and begins work. Add Product – Logged In



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.


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.


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.


B2a

B2b

R2

R3a

R3b

R3c

R3d

B3b


Sprint

2

B1a

B1b

R3a

R3b

R3c

R3d

B3a

B3b


G4a

G4b

G1

Released

• The new B3 stories

are reprioritized

along with new

Green stories.

• Additional stories are

picked up for the next

sprint.


B2a

B2b

R2

R3a

R3b

R3c

R3d

B3b


Sprint

3

B1a

B1b

R3a

R3b

R3c

R3d

B3a

B3b


G4a

G4b

G1

Released


B2a

B2b

R2

R3a

R3b

R3c

R3d

B3b


Sprint

4

B1a

B1b

R3a

R3b

R3c

R3d

B3a

B3b


G4a

G4b

G1

Released

• The first three sprints

are released.

• And the cycle

continues with stories

being pulled into the

next sprint.


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


We provide Agile Training, Coaching, & Implementation Services in the following areas:

Organization - Culture, Structure, Lean, Leadership, Enterprise Optimization

Product - Value Focus, Customer Needs, Prioritization, Planning, Portfolio, Strategy

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Documents

EVOLUTION OF A USER STORY - 2012conf.agileaustin.org2012conf.agileaustin.org/sites/default/files/Evolution of a User Story.… · The Product Owner makes a first attempt at breaking