User stories
Short descriptions of something a person needs, written from their point of view, used to discuss and plan work in agile teams.
What it’s for
Helps the team work with the purpose of each thing in mind, not just a list of features.
Key elements
Card, conversation, confirmation
A short note; the details come out in conversation; and some tests say when it is done.
Who, what and why
The template “As a…, I want…, so that…”, which was born in 2001 in the team at the British company Connextra.
INVEST
Independent, negotiable, valuable, estimable, small and testable.
How it’s done
Write the need in one sentence.
Discuss with the team to understand the details.
Confirm how you will know it is done.
Applications in design
When to use it
To move from research and ideas to the work of a team that builds in increments.
Avoid
Writing technical tasks in the shape of a story.
Don’t fall for it
A vague “so that…”, such as “so that the experience improves,” doesn’t help decide: make the benefit concrete.
Connections
Authors and works
- 2001
Ron Jeffries
Described the three parts of a story: card, conversation and confirmation.
- 2003
Bill Wake
Proposed INVEST to check whether a story is well written.
- 2004
Mike Cohn
Brought together in a book how to write, estimate and use user stories.
Sources
Original sources
- Jeffries, R. (2001, August 30). Essential XP: Card, conversation, confirmation. RonJeffries.com. View source: Jeffries, R. (2001, August 30)
- Wake, B. (2003, August 17). INVEST in good stories, and SMART tasks. XP123. View source: Wake, B. (2003, August 17)
Secondary sources
- Cohn, M. (2004). User stories applied: For agile software development. Addison-Wesley. View source: Cohn, M. (2004)
- Agile Alliance (n.d.). User stories. Agile Glossary. View source: Agile Alliance (n.d.)
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