Story mapping is a technique that [1] turns a product backlog into a "big picture" view by organizing user stories and tasks on a map from high level to fine grain, [2] structures development in a holistic and iterative way to build a minimum viable product with end-to-end functionality in each release, and [3] serves as an effective communication tool to explain the system to stakeholders. The workshop then taught how to construct a story map by listing activities, user stories, and tasks to support an online ice cream delivery service.

1. Story mapping
When your story backlog is a map

2. The next hour (or so)
• We’ll talk a bit about Agile Development
• Teach you the fundamentals of Story Mapping
• You’ll create your own Story Map
Enjoy,
Hans De Mondt, Jan Moons
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3. What is agile development?
• Cross-functional & self-organizing teams
• Small teams
• Flat organization, no hierarchy
• Relatively short cycles (±2 weeks to 1 month)
• Different “flavors” e.g. Scrum and XP
From: Wikimedia
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4. Product backlog
From: Agile Product Management with Scrum
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5. Problem with the product backlog
• No holistic view
• Prioritization usually based on development effort estimates rather than
added value to user
• Consistency? Completeness? (only in the mind of the product owner)
• Poor explanation of what the system does; dev members mostly don’t have a clue what
the complete system will do
• Is there something missing?
• Feeling of incompleteness
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6. Real-life product backlog
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7. Example user story
"As a <role>, I want <goal/desire> so that <benefit>"
As a user researcher
I want to observe people using the web application
So that I can detect problems and suggest a proper
solution
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8. User stories…
• …look like they mind the user of the system. The aim is actually to
describe the feature as concretely as possible.
• … are usually not based on user research.
• … are atomic and do not necessarily have context. Software developers
do not always know what the feature they are working on actually
does, in the context of the full product.
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9. What is story mapping?
• “Popularized” by Jeff Patton
• Explained in a blogpost:
http://agileproductdesign.com/blog/the_new_backlog.html
• Basically turns the story backlog into a “big picture” view.
• Holistic – end-to-end story
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11. High level to fine grain
• The map is constructed from left to right
• The top level are activities: big user stories that cannot be tackled in 1
sprint; example: “As an organizer I want to schedule meetings so the
team can meet”
• Tasks and sub-tasks are pieces of functionality that help cover the activity
and can be done in 1 sprint.
• We added “user roles” as a top level
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12. The top level
• In the top level the bigger user stories are shown in an order that makes
sense to the user of the system
• There are usually many ways to order activities
Tip: List activities in the order you use when explaining the
system to an outsider. That is the order.
Manage
Log in Manage emails Log out
schedule
Example for an online mail and calendar app
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13. Tasks
• User stories like you’re used to.
• For ease-of-reading shorthand version is fine
(so skip the “as a …” and “so that” parts)
• Tasks are small enough to be picked up in 1 sprint.
• TIP: if the project is heavy on UX you can add screenshots of the UI as
the project progresses
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14. Skeleton and backbone
• Activities are the backbone = the big picture
• Tasks are the skeleton, the higher the need, the higher the task
• Tasks with equal necessity are on the same level: e.g. you can’t build a
car with either an engine or brakes, they both are needed; the type of
brakes or engine can be better defined later on (lower on the map)
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15. Sprint planning
activity activity
task task task
Sprint 1
task task
Sprint 2
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16. Releases / sprints
• Support all necessary ACTIVITIES with the first release
• Smallest working system with end-to-end functionality
• Create a swim lane for each release / sprint
• In each subsequent release improve activity support (add additional activities)
• Value/benefit for the user (frequency of use)
• Value/benefit for business
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17. Side effect: from incremental to iterative
Story mapping forces you to think iterative rather than incremental. Rather have a complete
but early system than a set of well-defined features and no system
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18. Story map = communication
• The story map should be present at all times
• On a wall with post-its or on a TV using e.g. cardmapping
http://www.cardmapping.com
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19. For additional features…
• Sometimes additional features get their own storymap, specially if the
project did not have a story map yet. Same rules apply.
• Also in the case of different user roles different maps can be used.
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20. That’s it
Now it’s your turn:
Build a story map for an online ice cream delivery service
Any questions/remarks, just ask us
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