The User Story concept was invented almost 20 years ago, and it’s time for an update. This outdated process supports an old way of working focused on predictable requirements delivery instead of product discovery. Wouldn’t you like to know much earlier which features are not going to be valued by your market? We need techniques that shorten the feedback loop with customers, not stakeholders. We need to prioritize based on riskiest assumptions and iterate quickly through small experiments in order to (in)validate our ideas as fast as possible.

1. User Stories Suck

2. © Copyright Agile Velocity, LLC All Rights Reserved
Reese Schmit
Agile Coach/Trainer
@reesendesist
reese.schmit@agilevelocity.com
www.agilevelocity.com

3. David Hawks
Agile Trainer and Coach
CEO of Agile Velocity
@austinagile
david@agilevelocity.com
AgileVelocity.com
Accelerate Agility
Transformation | Training | Coaching

4. PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIALAGILE VELOCITY ACCELERATE AGILITY
THE PATH TO AGILITY™
The Agile Velocity transformation framework

5. PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIALAGILE VELOCITY ACCELERATE AGILITY 5
Align Learn Predict Accelerate Adapt
Alignment around Why
Change
Agile Leadership Mindset Create Focus Optimize the Whole Business Agility
Org Change Plan
Empower Teams - Transfer
Ownership
Reduce Complexity Internal Coaching Capacity
Product Learning over
Delivery
Readiness for the
Transformation
Facilitate the Change Ability to Forecast
Clear Value Purpose
Establish Foundational
Practices
Establish Predictable
Cadence of Delivery
Release Continuously Customer Centered
Team Agreements
Establish Continuous
Improvement Culture
Shorten Quality Feedback
Loop
Reduce Cycle Time
Experiment Driven
Development
Create Visibility
OrganizationalLevelTeamLevel THE PATH TO AGILITY™
The Agile Velocity transformation framework

6. Agile =
Shorten the
Feedback
Loop
But, to Who?

7. Delivery Focus
• Agile
• Scrum
• Predictability
• Velocity
• Test Automation
• Continuous Integration
• User Stories
PD-2

8. Build
Feedback?
Idea
Product
PD-2

9. How do you
know you are
building the
right thing?
PD-2

10. When do you
find out if you
are right?
PD-2

11. How long is the
Release cycle? (From
Concept to
Customer)
How many features
are released
together?
How is success
determined?
Your
Product
Today
Your Reality
PD-3

13. Debrief In the
Video
What was
the
impact?
How long is the
Release cycle? (From
Concept to
Customer)
How many features
are released
together?
How is success
determined?
Your
Product
Today
PD-3

14. It is a
Requirement
Dammit!

15. 64% of the
features we build in
the software
industry are Rarely
or Never Used!

16. Discovery
• Lean Startup
• User Story Mapping
• Design Thinking
• Lean UX
• Experiment Driven
PD-4

17. Build
Idea
Product
Measure
Learn
Data
PD-4

18. Build
Idea
Product
Measure
Learn
Data
The Goal is to
Shorten the
Learning Cycle

19. © Copyright Agile Velocity, LLC All Rights Reserved
Objective
Objective: _____________________
• Key Result 1: ________________
• Key Result 2: ________________
• Key Result 3: ________________
PD-7

20. Turn your Requirement
into a Hypothesis
If we do X then Y% of customers will
behave in way Z

21. © Copyright Agile Velocity, LLC All Rights Reserved
Hypothesis
If we do _____________,
then ___________% of customers
will behave ___________
PD-7

22. Sort the
Assumptions
?
?
?
?
High Risk
Low Risk

23. © Copyright Agile Velocity, LLC All Rights Reserved
Experiment
Build the absolute minimum required to test your
hypothesis, as fast as possible
• Measure real behavior
• Don’t just confirm, learn
• Include ways to capture surprises
PD-7

24. © Copyright Agile Velocity, LLC All Rights Reserved
Experiment
We believe that [doing this/building this
feature/creating this experience]
for [these people/personas]
will achieve [this outcome].
We will know this is true when we see [this
market feedback, quantitative measure, or
qualitative insight]
PD-7

25. What tools and
techniques do you
use to validate ideas
before beginning
development?
PD-8

26. Experimentation
Objective
Explore baked-in assumptions and
define them as testable hypotheses
• “10% of all free version users will convert to paid.”
• “If we provide this feature, then 25% more will buy our service.”
• “Non-gluten recipes take more than 30 minutes to find.”
• “90% of parents want an easy way to share photos.”
Experiments
Design smallest
experiment(s) to test
the highest-priority
hypothesis
Hypotheses
Define the business
goal
PD-5

27. Practice
Round
ACTIVITY:
• Each table is given a sheet containing a question or scenario.
• Collaborate and achieve consensus on an answer.
After 3 minutes, shift to next table where a new sheet awaits staying
within your color.

28. Types of Experiments
MVP
Concierge MVP
Sprint PSPI
User Observation
A/B Test
Wizard of Oz
Paper Prototype

29. Paper Prototyping

30. Explainer Video

31. Facade

32. DeliveryDiscovery

33. What ways can you
shorten the
feedback loop in
your product
lifecycle?
PD-9

34. PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIALAGILE VELOCITY ACCELERATE AGILITY
THE PATH TO AGILITY™
The Agile Velocity transformation framework

35. PROPRIETARY AND CONFIDENTIALAGILE VELOCITY ACCELERATE AGILITY
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Onsite Agility Assessment with your Sr.
Leaders.
David Hawks
CEO
david@agilevelocity.com
@austinagile
Reese Schmit
Agile Coach
reese.schmit@agilevelocity.com
@ReeseNDesist

36. AGILE VELOCITY
ALL THINGS AGILE
Our passion is accelerating agility. The Agile Velocity team consists of a diverse set of thought
leaders in the community who focus our energies on Agile so we can provide the best
solution for our partners.
We believe Agile is helpful to all industries and verticals; we do not limit ourselves to one.
AGILE EXPERTS
Our coaches have two things: Love for Agile + Decades of hands-on experience applying Agile
to build high performing organizations.
AGILE TRANSFORMATION PARTNER
We are not a coaching augmentation company. Our services are focused on guiding your
transformation and partnering to enable long term self-sufficiency.
Agile Training
with more engagement
Agile Teams
with faster value
Agile Transformations
with less risk
ABOUT AGILE VELOCITY
Contact Agile Velocity at Info@AgileVelocity.com OR 512.298.2835

37. © Copyright Agile Velocity, LLC All Rights Reserved
Sources
• Gothelf, Jeff (2013-02-22). Lean UX: Applying Lean Principles
to Improve User Experience (p. 20). O'Reilly Media
• Moves the Needle, Brant Cooper