USER STORY GUIDE

What is a User Story?

A user story is a simple and concise description of a specific software feature from the customer or end user's point of
view. Its aim is to help developers understand the customer journey and predict how users will interact with the product.
By using user stories, developers can gain the necessary context to understand the "why" behind creating a particular
feature.

A standard user story is brief and contains three elements: a user, an action, and a desired outcome, all expressed in
simple, everyday language that reflects the user's perspective.

Here's an example:

"As a reader,
I want to access this guide
to learn about successful examples of user stories."

This example follows the typical user story format:

"As a [user type],

I want to [perform a specific action]
so that I can [achieve a particular value or objective]."

More Descriptive User Stories:

"As a user of video chat, it's important for me to have the ability to mute my audio feed at any time during a call, without
having to leave the conversation. This feature would be particularly useful in situations where I need to attend to
something else, but don't want to disturb the other participants.

As a user of music streaming services, I highly value the ability to share my music choices with my friends, as it allows us
to discover new artists and stay connected through our shared interests. It would be great to have a feature that makes
it easier to share my music without having to manually copy and paste links or switch between apps.

As a user of a fitness tracker, I would love to be able to view daily trends and insights that help me better understand
my physical activity and overall health. This feature would enable me to track my progress, set goals and make more
informed decisions about my fitness routine."

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General User Story Format
TITLE: PRIORITY: ESTIMATE:

User story:

As a [user type],
I want to [perform a specific action]
so that I can [achieve a particular value or objective].

Acceptance Criteria:

Given [How things begin],

When [Action Taken]
Then [Outcome of Action Taken]

Is there a formal process required?

When it comes to creating user stories, there's no need for a formal process. You can use simple tools like index cards
or sticky notes to write them down. Alternatively, you can use digital tools like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or Excel to
create and organize them.

It's worth noting that any member of your Agile team can create user stories. However, the Product Owner is ultimately
responsible for deciding which stories are most important and should be prioritized in the Agile product backlog.

User Stories with the 3 Cs

To create effective user stories, it is important to follow the 3 Cs model, which includes the Card, Conversation, and
Confirmation stages.

o The Card stage involves writing the user story with just enough information for the team to understand and
plan around it. This stage should include a user, action, and outcome.
o The Conversation stage allows for creativity and exploration of the customer's needs.
o Finally, the Confirmation stage involves evaluating the story using acceptance criteria.

Creating user stories with INVEST

To create good user stories effortlessly, you can use the INVEST acronym, which stands for Independent, Negotiable,
Valuable, Estimable, Small, and Testable.

o Independent: Independent stories have fewer dependencies on other features, making them easier to test.
o Negotiable: This refers to the functionality of the feature, which can be discussed and agreed upon between
the project owner and the team.
o Valuable: The user story should describe a feature that provides clear value to the end-users.
o Estimable: The user story should not be too vague or too large to estimate accurately.
o Small: The user story should be small enough to be completed in a single sprint by the development team.
o Testable: The user story should be testable to determine its success. The acceptance criteria should be simple,
objective, and have clear pass/fail scenarios.

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By leveraging tools like the INVEST model and the 3 Cs model, your team can enjoy the many benefits of creating user
stories, such as boosting collaboration, supporting backlog prioritization, and minimizing risks during feature creation.

User stories are brief descriptions of a feature or functionality from the user's perspective. They capture
requirements in an agile project and help the development team understand the users' needs.

User Stories in Agile Framework:

User stories are a crucial aspect of agile software development. They are short, simple descriptions of a feature or
functionality as viewed from the perspective of the end user, expressed as:

PERSONA + NEED + PURPOSE

o The PERSONA represents the type of user who will benefit from the feature,
o The NEED describes the problem or desire that the feature will address,
o The PURPOSE outlines the benefits that the user will gain from the feature.

Writing user stories is a collaborative process that involves the development team, stakeholders, and end users, and
helps to ensure that everyone is on the same page when it comes to the goals and objectives of the project. When
done right, user stories can help to increase productivity, reduce development costs, and deliver software that meets
the needs and expectations of the end user.

Let's see how it works.

EPIC AS A USER I WANT TO SO THAT I CAN USER STORIES

Epic 1 User Story 1:

Epic 2 User Story 2:

Epic 3 User Story 3:

Epics are a type of large-scale project within the Agile framework that may require the completion of multiple features
and user stories. Although they follow a similar format to user stories, epics are more comprehensive in scope and require
the creation of multiple stories to achieve the desired outcome.

A typical Epic includes a user, an action, and a desired outcome. For example,

"As a project manager, I want a robust work management platform that empowers my team to take advantage
of the Agile methodology."

Once an Epic has been developed, specific user stories can be created to achieve the objectives outlined in the Epic.

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