Presentation on User Stories from Barcamp VRT (21/1/2012) Questions? twitter.com/bartvermijlen . Get your invite for private beta on http://www.userstorieshq.com

1. User Stories
Develop better products faster and cheaper.

2. about.me/bartvermijlen
Hi. This is me!

3. Where did we go wrong?
Projects fail. Many projects fail. But why? How come?

4. Time
Budget
Quality
Scope
A project has 4 dimensions. Where do they fail?

5. Time
Budget
Quality
Scope
Most of the time, projects are delivered late, and out of budget. Quality is neglected and the product isn’t tested at a sufficient level.

6. Time
Budget
Quality
Scope User Stories
The solution for the first three dimensions lies in the fourth dimension. If you define your scope using User Stories, a lot of trouble can
be avoided.

7. User Story:
As a (type of user)
I want to (goal)
so that (reason)
What are User Stories? It’s a specific way to describe pieces of functionality from a user’s point of view. They consist of the type of
user, the goal and the reason. This last one is important, as it reflects business value.

8. User Story:
As a cyclist
I want to switch gears
so that I can go faster
Example for a bike. Note that the business value is not in the gears but in going faster.

9. User Story:
As a visitor of the website
I want to submit my email address
so that I can receive the newsletter
Example for a website. Here value is not in the submitting process, but actually getting that newsletter in your mailbox.

10. 3 C’s:
Card
Conversation
Confirmation
(Ron Jeffries)
http://xprogramming.com/articles/expcardconversationconfirmation/
A User Story is more than just that sentence. It consists of three C’s.

11. Card
The Card holds the “as a (type of user) I want to (goal) so that (reason)”. By putting the story on a card, it’s easy to put on a wall,
place it on the table, hold it in your hand, …

12. Conversation
But the real value is not in the Card. The Card is just the fuel for Conversation. User Stories force you to talk about the right things.

13. Confirmation
A User Story also implies Confirmation. When is a User Story “confirmed”?

14. Confirmation
Acceptance Criteria
When it’s Acceptance Criteria are met! These Criteria define when a User Story will be accepted as “ready”, how the piece of
functionality is tested, what the definition of “done” is for the User Story.

16. “Those who want the product
(software) must communicate
with those who will build it.”
Mike Cohn
A clear benefit of User Stories is the focus on communication between business and development. The balance between the two is
crucial. They are both equally responsible to negotiate the scope.

17. Don’t get caught up in lengthy requirement documents that nobody reads. Don’t think when it’s written down, it’s clear for everyone.

18. Describe what will happen,
but not how it will happen.
Don’t focus on technologies or processes. Describe what must happen for your user.

19. Focus on users and their actions.
A user has a face. Keep that in mind. When you develop for children or their grandparents, put it in the center.

20. User centric scope definition
=
more time/money for quality
When you talk about scope the right way, development will go faster, and you’ll end up with more time to invest in quality and testing.

21. Fast delivery
Obviously you’ll deliver early.

22. Further reading:
Scrum and XP from the Trenches – H. Kniberg
User Stories Applied – M. Cohn
Read these books. They’re Scrum and XP oriented, but don’t let that get in the way.

23. Userstorieshq.com
Currently we’re working on a little tool to manage your User Stories. Request your invite for private beta.

24. @bartvermijlen