The (Unteapped) Power of User Stories

For many Agile teams, “stories” are really requirements given a different name, or merely to-do list items written in an awkward format. Too often each “story” requests a specific technical implementation of a presumed solution. But it hasn't always been this way. In the beginning of years, when the world was new, there was extreme programming, and XP drew a distinction between story telling and problem solving.

Presented at CukeUp 2014. Full video is online at https://skillsmatter.com/skillscasts/5099-the-untapped-power-of-user-stories

Transcript

1. The (Untapped) Power of User Stories Nat Pryce nat@natpryce.com @natpryce
2. User Stories
3. As a: business I want: to reduce bandwidth usage So that: we save costs
4. As a: business I want: to reduce bandwidth usage So that: we save costs As: a device I want: the disk drive not to spin up when in standby mode So that: power regulations
5. As a: business I want: to reduce bandwidth usage So that: we save costs As: a device I want: the disk drive not to spin up when in standby mode So that: power regulations As: a business analyst I want: the developers to increase the velocity So that: we deliver faster
6. As a: business I want: to reduce bandwidth usage So that: we save costs As: a device I want: the disk drive not to spin up when in standby mode So that: power regulations As: a business analyst I want: the developers to increase the velocity So that: we deliver faster As: the customer I want: it ALL to fucking work So that: people don’t get fired
8. As a: Hobbit I want: to drop the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom So that: Middle Earth is free from Sauron’s menace
9. As a: Hobbit I want: to drop the One Ring into the fires of Mount Doom So that: Middle Earth is free from Sauron’s menace As a: Hobbit I want to: sneak into the lair of Smaug the dragon under the Misty Mountain So that: … ??? ...
11. As: a user I want: to register to be emailed when the game is released So that: I can buy it as quickly as possible.
12. As: a user I want: to register to be emailed when the game is released So that: I can buy it as quickly as possible. In order to: make a big hype about the game when it's released As: Fred, the Marketing guy I want: users to register for an email about the release.
14. I want a jam sandwich
15. Make me a jam sandwich
16. TODO: make a jam sandwich
17. A jam sandwich is made of bread, butter and jam.
18. I bought bread, butter and jam. I made a jam sandwich. I ate it.
19. I wanted a jam sandwich but didn't have any ingredients in the house I went to the shop to buy bread butter and jam. Then went I home and ate a delicious jam sandwich
20. I wanted a jam sandwich but didn't have any ingredients in the house I walked through the pouring rain to the shop to buy bread butter and jam Then went I home and ate a delicious jam sandwich
21. I wanted a jam sandwich but didn't have any ingredients in the house I walked through the pouring rain to the shop to buy bread butter and jam Then went I home and ate a delicious jam sandwich
22. Classic Narrative Structure Set Up Conflict Resolution Beginning End Middle inciting incident crisis
23. Aristotle’s Poetics “... the proper construction of the Fable or Plot … has beginning, middle and end, … the hero passing by a series of probable or necessary stages from misfortune to happiness or from happiness to misfortune.” Aristotle, Poetics. 335 BCE. Translation by Ingram Bywater, 1920.
26. “Story: One thing the customer wants the system to do” eXtreme Programming Explained, Kent Beck, 1999 The XP White Book
27. “A User Story is a story, told by the user, specifying how the system is supposed to work” Ron Jeffries http://www.c2.com/cgi/wiki?UserStory XP Discussion on the C2 Wiki
28. In What is Extreme Programming?, Ron Jeffries does not use the term “User Story” at all, but uses “Feature” instead. http://xprogramming.com/what-is-extreme-programming/ XP Today
30. The End