Presentation on how to create usable User Story requirements, including Types of Requirements, Acceptance Criteria scope and language, Dependencies and Assumptions.

1. Charlottetown Product/Project Manager & BI Meetup Group
November 15, 2017
Brian Lynch Presenter
The Requirements of Requirements

2. Requirements Development & Management
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3. Requirements Hierarchy
Each level delivers the
requirements of the
level above it.
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4. Requirements Hierarchy
Each level delivers the
requirements of the
level above it.
 ‘Why-ish’
 ‘What-ish’
 ‘How-ish’
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5. Requirements Hierarchy
Mission & Vision
Goals
Business Objectives  KPIs
Product Vision & Roadmap
Often Parts
of a BRD
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6. Requirements Hierarchy
SRS (Software Requirements Specifications)
User Stories & Acceptance Criteria
Usually used in Waterfall
Often used in Agile
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7. Requirements Hierarchy
Hardware Specifications
Database Structure & Field Reqs
Connectivity Requirements
Many more
Often System
Specific
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8. Requirements Hierarchy
SRS (Software Requirements Specifications)
User Stories & Acceptance Criteria
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9. Functional Requirements
For BAs without an IT background, [functional
requirements] are the level at which you need to
learn to understand and talk intelligently about
“IT” – it’s about what the system can do for the
business, not about how that system is built.
- From: http://www.bridging-the-gap.com/requirements-documentation/
9The Requirements of Requirements (Nov, 2017)

10. The Requirements of Requirements
10The Requirements of Requirements (Nov, 2017)

11. As a _______, when I _____, I want to ______ so I can _______.
User Action
Context Value
User Stories
Simply put, User Stories describe what Users want and why.
WARNING: User Stories are NOT requirements
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12. User Story Requirements
• Acceptance Criteria
• Non-Functional Acceptance Criteria
• Supporting Docs (User Flow, Wireframes, Mocks)
• Assumptions
• Dependencies
• Compliance Requirements
User Story Details
As a Player, I want
the AvA HUD to
tell me the current
status of AvA so I
can plan my
gameplay and start
playing at the right
time.
Reference Flow: n/a
Reference Mock: see above.
Acceptance Criteria:
1.If AvA Phase is active, but not currently running, HUD displays:
1. Name of active phase
2. Number of hours and/or minutes until active phase is set to
run (time to start)
2.If AvA is active and running, HUD displays:
1. Name of active & running AvA phase
2. Number of hours and/or minutes until end of current phase
(time remaining)
3.If AvA is neither active nor running, HUD displays:
1. Name of previously active AvA phase
2. Static text “Phase Completed” text, in place of either time to
start or time remaining.–
Assumptions:
4.Interface will require currently allotted screen ‘real estate’.
5.Time to start data is available
6.Selecting AvA HUD interface will navigate Player into AvA interface
regardless of active, running or inactive status of AvA
Dependencies:
1.Existing AvA system
JIRA: GOT-15479
GOT-15623
Sample of User Story Based Requirement for Online Game Functionality
Also: While not requirements themselves,
including a ‘Background’ or ‘Current
State Analysis’ for the related
functionality is a good idea.
User Story, plus…
12The Requirements of Requirements (Nov, 2017)

13. Acceptance Criteria Criteria
• Testable
• Active & Present Tense
• Verb early
• Specific
• Nested
• Don’t Over-Stack
• Conditional as needed
• Doesn’t dictate UX
• Impersonal
Properly-written Acceptance Criteria makes it easier for UX, QA and Devs to do their
job correctly and to ensure that you don’t miss anything before they do their work.
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14. • For about 20-30 seconds, an HUD for the player’s current score is displayed on the screen, but will close and we
need the HUD icon to be displayed instead.
• HUD needs to have player scores and also a select button for more details, x
1. Home Page displays HUD on at initial load of game in location per wireframes.
2. HUD includes UI (e.g., button or link) that allows User to access additional info.
3. When Additional Info UI is selected,
1. A new tab opens in browser.
2. New tab includes Terms & Conditions content.
4. HUD includes the following information (placement per wireframe or mocks)
1. Leaderboard Position
2. Current Points
3. Current Level
5. All information is current as of the end of the Player’s last session, regardless of which device or platform the
Player used (i.e., information is per server, not client).
6. After 30 seconds, HUD automatically minimizes, as follows:
a) HUD will close.
b) HUD ‘Re-Open’ icon will display (per wireframes).
✓
Acceptance Criteria: Example
Acceptance criterial for User Story: “As a Player, when I start the game, I want to
see my score and standings so I can plan my strategy better.”
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15. Functional requirements are almost always augmented with docs that show or explain
how the functionality should work. Remember, usually words are not enough!
Supporting Documents
• Wireframes
• Mock-Ups
• Experience Flow/User Journeys
• Site Maps
• Use Cases
• User Maps
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16. The Acceptance Criteria that impacts User’s experience, but generally associated
with aspects beyond the Player’s control or out of their sight. NFS generally
dictate the ‘operation’ of a system; not its ‘behaviour’.
Non-Functional Requirements
• How fast?
• How often?
• How secure?
• How precise or exact?
If you are non-technical, Devs and other experts will
help a lot here. But be sure the ‘Hows’ are covered.
For Example…
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17. Assumptions & Dependencies
Assumptions are the conditions under
which we assume the Acceptance Criteria
will be achievable
Dependencies are other systems or
functionalities that must be in place for the
Acceptance Criteria to be achievable.
• The data required to be displayed
is accessible in a database.
• The appropriate permissions will
be in place (e.g., for data access).
• User will have a certain level of
internet connectivity to load the
required amount of
image/functionality.
• E.g., ‘Password Recovery’ system is
dependent on a ‘Registration’ system.
• E.g., Embedded video functionality for
a multi-platform rollout is dependent
on a ‘Platform Agnostic Video Player’
• E.g., Database and pipeline in place for
a ‘Player Look-Up’ feature.
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18. Interactive Exercise
Scenario One: Thermostat
Scenario Two: Garage Door Opener
Requirements Template
Online Requirements Template: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1R5musKc2c5R2QDWsdFTYLPVrLnd5kxxq7e9vDpdsOZ8/edit?usp=sharing
Downloadable Version: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B95alyJ6hLz-MURMSzkwendhSms
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19. Thank You!
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