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User Stories

Updated Jun 07, 2020 ·

User Stories​

User stories are essential tools in agile software development, designed to capture requirements from an end-user perspective and drive the development process with clarity and purpose.

  • What: It describes a feature (or component of a feature) and is short and simple.

  • Who: It’s from the perspective of the person who will use the feature.

  • Why: It's the “value” of the feature so the team knows what is driving this request.

  • When: User stories are prioritized in terms of when they’ll be completed.

Key Questions​

  • Do the user stories clearly articulate who needs the product, what they need, and why it is important?
  • Do the user stories logically contribute to epics and overarching product features?
  • Have acceptance criteria been defined for each user story to ensure the delivered solution meets user expectations?

Creating User Stories​

Collaborate with your team to craft user stories using a structured format:

“As a [user role], I want to [action], so that [benefit or reason].”

Where:

  • As a [user role]: Specifies the type of user or stakeholder involved.
  • I want to [action]: Describes what the user wants to achieve or accomplish.
  • So that [benefit or reason]: Explains the purpose or benefit of fulfilling this user need.

Example:

As a gardener, I want to control greenhouse conditions from my phone, so that my plants will stay happy while I’m away.