user story mapping

Gergő Pintér, PhD

gergo.pinter@uni-corvinus.hu

the problem

  • the backlog difficult to prioritize
    • identify dependencies
    • already at this point the tasks need detailed understanding
  • the backlog is one dimensional
    • priority

user story map

activity

  • is sort of a big thing that people do
  • that has lots of steps,
  • and doesn’t always have a precise workflow

activities are still user stories with roles

As a social media platform user
I want to follow users
so I can keep up with their posts.

user task

  • in agile a “task” refers to the things that developers do
    • to finish user stories
  • user story mapping considers the user,
    • so a user task is what a user needs to do to complete an activity
for example (follow a user)
  1. search for user
  2. add user to followed list

from “Quickstart Guide to User Story Mapping” by Eben Halford | CC BY-SA 2.5

user story mapping

  • popularized by Jeff Patton
  • performed in workshops including
    • users,
    • (UI) designers,
    • developers,
    • testers,
    • and stakeholders
  • build a shared understanding of the product and a common language

user story map as a document

  • not final, not set in stone
  • it is possible and encouraged to adjust
    as the more knowledge is acquired about the software
    • versioning
  • you are free to move notes up and down
    • change the role (activity ↔︎ user task)

backbone, skeleton, ribs

iterations

social media platform - example

user story mapping mistakes

more from Jeff Patton: 5 story mapping mistakes