This document provides an agenda for a class on Agile Requirements and User Stories. It lists the presenters for this session and their topics, which are Agile Requirements and User Stories. It also provides logistical information for the class, ground rules, and an overview of user stories and how they can help capture product requirements in an agile way.

1. Class 3 – Agile Requirements
& User Stories

2. 06/04 Agile Values & Principles Ned Horvath/ Mark Spitzer
06/11 Scrum Overview & Roles Kincade Park/ Tracy Whitehill
06/18 Agile Rqmts & User Stories Pat Scherer/Roberto Vasquez
06/25 Release Planning/Estimation Walter Bodwell/Mark Ridlehuber
07/02 Sprint Ceremonies Timothy Balraj / Dan Corbin
07/09 Scrum Simulation Jason Morillo / Ned Horvath
07/16 Kanban & Lean Overview Jay Paulson / Pat Scherer
07/23 Agile Technical Practices David Merryweather/Arpit Gupta
07/30 Retrospectives David Hawks / Arpit Gupta

3. #AgileAustinU
agileaustinu@agileaustin.org
education@agileaustin.org
https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/agile-austin-u

4. Platinum Sponsors:

5. Gold Sponsors:

6. Tonight’s Refreshments
Silver Sponsors:
Bronze Sponsors:

8. Pat Scherer  Product Owner (SaaS/Mobile) &
Agile CSM
pat@thedetailperson.com
Roberto Vasquez  Software Engineer (CSM-
CSPO)  Silicon Labs
rmvasquez@austin.rr.com

9.  Be on time
 Turn off / silence your cell phone
 Cancellations made 48-hours in advance
 Take break in the middle of the session
 Talkative people ask more questions to get the entire
group talking
 One conversation at a time
 Positive comments are always welcomed
 Raise your hand to speak
 Quiet hand raise to grab attention after exercise
 Use Roman voting (thumbs up/thumb down)
Any proposed changes?

10. 10
An ever-changing list of
desired product features
 New features • Defects • Non-
functional requirements
 Multiple sources and channels
 All sizes • Levels of feasibility •
Timeframes
 Incomplete • Unclear • Conflicting
 Unquantified value

11. 11
What are the
characteristics of
“good
requirements”?
Table
Discussion
Who? Customers, market research, …
Why? How much? Reward for delivery
What is required? Not how it should be implemented
When? Window of opportunity

12. Assign
Estimate
Prioritize
12
m Stories
Sprint 4 Sprint 3 Sprint 2 Sprint 1

13. Source: http://www.projectcartoon.com
13

14. We need a light weight method, so
that…
Rather than making one all-encompassing set of
decisions up front
… we can spread decision making across the project
based on the latest information
Copyright © 2012 Agile Velocity, LLC. All Rights Reserved. AGILE VELOCITY PROPRIETARY
14

15. As a <WHO>
I want <WHAT>
So that <WHY>

16. As a frequent flyer
I want to rebook a past trip
So that I save time booking
trips I take.

17.  Take a 4x6 card and write a User Story for a
feature you recently worked on
 Make sure to include the who, what and why
17

18. Acceptance Criteria:
• All previous trips are presented as options for rebooking
• Does not permit me to rebook for a date when hotel room
or rental car is unavailable
• Trip price displayed and charged to card is current, not
previous trip price
• Process of rebooking takes less than 4 minutes from login to
completed transaction

19. 19
•Independent
•Negotiable
•Valuable
•Estimable
•Small
•Testable
INVEST
User-Stories-Cohn-NDC2010.pdf, Mike Cohn

20. 26
Shift focus from writing to talking
• If you begin with writing detailed requirements, then at best you will get
what was written, not necessarily what you want.
Stories are understandable by both developers and customers
Support and encourage iterative development
Stories are the right size for planning
User-Stories-Cohn-NDC2010.pdf, Mike Cohn

21. Assign
Estimate
Prioritize
27
m Stories
Sprint 4 Sprint 3 Sprint 2 Sprint 1

22. An ordered list of ideas (stories, defects, epics)
Supports the product vision
Managed by the Product Owner
Reprioritized before each Sprint
Estimated by the Development Team
28

23. Rank/ID Title Estimate
1. Reservation Cancellation for Premium
Members
5 units
2. Confirmation email for Cancellations 3 units
3. French Version 30 units
4. Rental Car Reservations 60 units
5. Book Flights 200 units
29

24. 30
100 40
100
100
20 2013 13
8 20 813
5 3 21
5 321
51
2
3 1 2 1 1
ProductBacklog
Epics
Large
Lower Priority
Future Release
Backlog Items
(What is Requested)
Estimated in Points
Small – Sprint Sized
Detailed
Higher Priority
2-3 Sprints Worth
SprintBacklog
Tasks
(How to Get it Done)
Estimated in Hours
Tasks Required to Complete Backlog Items
Sized Less than a Day
Individual Workable Items
Release

25. 31
Backlog
Refinement
Class
Exercise
1. Is this an Epic, Story or Task?
2. How would you make the epic, story
or task clearer? (Refine it.)
3. What is the approximate effort?
(Consensus)
4. Share your example, process and
what you learned.

26. The Product Owner should be
constantly refining the Backlog
• Change items
• Add items
• Delete items
• Break big items into smaller ones
• (deleting the big one)
• Re-prioritize
• Add details
• De-prioritize items to make room for
new items
32

27. Prior to Each Sprint
1. Determine readiness for next Sprint
2. Break down near term stories
3. Estimate any new stories
Separate meeting - weekly or bi-weekly
Attended by whole Team and driven by
Product Owner
33

28. Assign
Estimate
Prioritize
34
m Stories
Sprint 4 Sprint 3 Sprint 2 Sprint 1
Next week:
Release Planning
and Estimation