A flat backlog presents problems understanding context of individual items. Determining the value of a user story in a vacuum is difficult, if not impossible. We need the big picture! Without understanding the big picture, how do we know if we have identified all the stories? How do we communicate the context of a user story in the big picture? How do we really know what is necessary for a minimum viable product? User story mapping is a technique that can help us keep the big picture front and center. It was developed to build shared understanding and display the stories within the context of the user narrative. We will discuss the challenges with flat backlogs, how user story mapping can help with those, do an activity to build a story map and discuss how to integrate this technique into the work you’re already doing.

1. Maps over Backlogs
User Story Mapping to Share the Big
Picture
Mike Clement
Founding Software Craftsman at Greater Sum
mike@greatersum.com
mike@softwareontheside.com

9. Luke Barrett via User Story Mapping, Jeff Patton

10. Luke Barrett via User Story Mapping, Jeff Patton

11. Luke Barrett via User Story Mapping, Jeff Patton

12. Luke Barrett via User Story Mapping, Jeff Patton

14.  Backbone or Narrative 

15. And then… and then… and then…

16.  Detail

17. Activity

18. User tasks are the basic building blocks of
a story map.

19. • Close your eyes, and think back to the moment you woke up this
morning.
• What’s the first thing you recall doing? Now, open your eyes, and
write it down on a sticky note.
• Then, think of the next thing you did. Got it? Now, write it on the
next sticky, peel it off, and place it next to the first one.
• Then keep going.
• Keep writing sticky notes until you’ve gotten ready for work (or left
the house.

20. Narrative Flow
• Storytelling order from left to right
• Stack items that happen at about the same time
• Add missing details

21. •Take a minute and think about what you
did yesterday morning.
•Think of mornings when things went wrong.
•Think about your ideal morning.

22.  Backbone or Narrative 

23. Build a Backbone
• Activities aggregate tasks directed at a common goal.
• Summary – Getting cleaned up
• Functional – Take a shower, Brush teeth, Do hair
• Sub-functional – Adjust water temp, wash body, wash hair, rinse,
turn off water, dry off

24. “For every story you write, you need to
put three into your backlog of stories.”
Alistair Cockburn

25. “Well, if you have to write something on them, then
write what you want on the first card, and on the
second card write ‘Fix the first card.’ Then on the
third card, write ‘Fix the second one.’ If you aren’t
going around this cycle three times for each story,
you’re not learning.”
Alistair Cockburn

26. User Story Mapping, Jeff Patton

27. User Story Mapping, Jeff Patton

28. User Story Mapping, Jeff Patton

29. “Do you have to do it all?”

30. “Do you need all of this to go live before
<insert upcoming deadline here>?”

31. Focus on Outcomes

32. Slicing

33. Slice 1
Slice 2
And Beyond

34. Prioritize Outcomes, Not Stories

35. Activity

36. “Get out the door in a few minutes”

37. Picture’s worth a 1000 words?

40. Documents are like Vacation Photos

41. Get together and use the document to tell
a story the same way I used my vacation
photo to tell you my story.

42. Revisit and refine

43. Discussion

44. Story Mapping Resources
• http://jpattonassociates.com/user-story-mapping/
• User Story Mapping by Jeff Patton
• http://devjam.com/tag/story-mapping/

45. Mike Clement
• @mdclement
• mike@softwareontheside.com
• http://blog.softwareontheside.com
• https://github.com/mdclement
• Greater Sum
• @thegreatersum
• http://www.greatersum.com
• Software Craftsmanship Atlanta
• Find us on meetup.com
• Limited WIP Society Atlanta
• Find us on meetup.com