1. Your User Stories Are Bad
And You Should Feel Bad
John Cleary
Lead Web Developer, DocNet
@TheRealBifter
Wednesday, 1 May 13

2. We all know what User
Stories are, right?
Wednesday, 1 May 13

3. As a {user}
I want {some_feature}
so that {i_get_value}
1/3 - THE CARD
Wednesday, 1 May 13

4. The Conversation
with the user
2/3 - THE CONVERSATION
Wednesday, 1 May 13

5. public function theConfirmation()
{
// tests which convey the detail
// and tell us when we are done
}
3/3 - THE CONFIRMATION
Wednesday, 1 May 13

6. The Three Little Pigs
Wednesday, 1 May 13

7. Story:
As a Pig I want a house so that
I am safe and warm
Wednesday, 1 May 13

8. STRAW HOUSE
Wednesday, 1 May 13

9. WOLF ATTACK!
Wednesday, 1 May 13

10. Story:
As a Pig I want a house so that
I am safe and warm
Tests:
Does the structure
withstand strong winds?
Wednesday, 1 May 13

11. WOODEN HOUSE
Wednesday, 1 May 13

12. WOLF ATTACK - AGAIN
Wednesday, 1 May 13

13. Story:
As a Pig I want a house so that
I am safe and warm
Tests:
Does the structure
withstand strong winds of
up to 60mph
Wednesday, 1 May 13

14. BRICK HOUSE
Wednesday, 1 May 13

15. The moral of the story
is...
Wednesday, 1 May 13

16. ... that our user stories
should be ...
Wednesday, 1 May 13

17. Independent
Negotiable
Valuable
Estimable
Small
Testable
Wednesday, 1 May 13

18. Should not rely on other
stories
USER STORIES...
INDEPENDENT
Wednesday, 1 May 13

19. Focus on verbal
communication
USER STORIES...
NEGOTIABLE
Wednesday, 1 May 13

20. “What should I do if my
users stories don’t fit on
the card”
Wednesday, 1 May 13

21. “Use smaller cards”
Wednesday, 1 May 13

22. Should be written from
the user’s perspective
USER STORIES...
VALUABLE
Wednesday, 1 May 13

23. “Implement a centralised
logging system” is
probably not a user story
Wednesday, 1 May 13

24. Must be estimable
USER STORIES...
ESTIMABLE
Wednesday, 1 May 13

25. Need to fit within the
length of the sprint
USER STORIES...
SMALL
Wednesday, 1 May 13

26. Need acceptance
criteria
USER STORIES...
TESTABLE
Wednesday, 1 May 13

27. So, why do my user
stories suck?
Wednesday, 1 May 13

28. They are too small
YOUR STORIES SUCK BECAUSE
© quarksteilchen “Tiny Origami Swan Try 1“ from flikr
Wednesday, 1 May 13

29. They rely on other stories
YOUR STORIES SUCK BECAUSE
© bigoteetoe “Bread & Butter” from flikr
Wednesday, 1 May 13

30. They are just goldplating
YOUR STORIES SUCK BECAUSE
Wednesday, 1 May 13

31. There is too much detail
YOUR STORIES SUCK BECAUSE
© Treefiddy “Grandfather's Watch, B&W“ from flikr
Wednesday, 1 May 13

32. You did too much planning
YOUR STORIES SUCK BECAUSE
Wednesday, 1 May 13

33. You wrote them
YOUR STORIES SUCK BECAUSE
© a2gemma “A Pair Hard At Work“ from flikr
Wednesday, 1 May 13

34. How do I make my
stories less sucky?
Wednesday, 1 May 13

35. 1. Know your users
Wednesday, 1 May 13

36. 2. Get users to write the
stories
Wednesday, 1 May 13

37. 3. Use user proxies if
the user is not available
Wednesday, 1 May 13

38. 4. Run workshops
Wednesday, 1 May 13

39. 5. Have project goals
and sprint goals
Wednesday, 1 May 13

40. 6. If the story is too big
then “slice the cake”
Wednesday, 1 May 13

41. 7. Know what estimates
are for
Wednesday, 1 May 13

42. 8. Postpone design
Wednesday, 1 May 13

43. 9. Accept that not
everything is a story
Wednesday, 1 May 13

44. 10. Review your stories
(using INVEST)
Wednesday, 1 May 13

45. Thank you
John Cleary
Lead Web Developer, DocNet
@TheRealBifter
bit.ly/bad-stories
Wednesday, 1 May 13