Creating a backlog of user stories is pretty straight forward but it doesn't help you when it comes to decisions like what to build first, how to prioritize and groom the backlog, how to scope and plan the project, and how to visualize progress. The traditional backlog is simply too flat and often too long to help you see the bigger picture and make good decisions. User Story Mapping helps simplify all of these common project issues. By adding a third dimension to your backlog, your team will make better decisions about priorities, scope, and planning while improving your ability to visualize progress.
In this practical session I’ll cover the basics of user story mapping before walking you through case studies of how our teams are using this approach and the results we are achieving. I'll show you the before, during, and after pictures from several projects so that you can understand how our maps progress during the projects and how we use them to influence iterative development, promote good decision making, and visualize priorities, plans, scope and progress.
4. My First “Agile” Project
Retail costing/pricing system
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5. My First “Agile” Project
Retail costing/pricing system
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Maintance
Costing
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Pricing
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6. My First “Agile” Project
Retail costing/pricing system
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A++
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B+
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7. My First “Agile” Project
Retail costing/pricing system
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Costing
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8. My First “Agile” Project
Retail costing/pricing system
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9.
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11. My First “Agile” Project
Retail costing/pricing system
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Maintance
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Costing
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Pricing
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12. My First “Agile” Project
Retail costing/pricing system
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Maintenance
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Maintance
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Costing
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13. My First “Agile” Project
Retail costing/pricing system
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Maintenance
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Maintance
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Costing
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Pricing
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#%&#@*&!
14. My First “Agile” Project
Retail costing/pricing system
Item
Search
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What
Maintenance
Factor
toMaintance
build first
Costing
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Pricing
Engine
Cost/Price
Prototyper
Failed at iterative development
Scoping the project
Planning the project
Prioritizing and grooming the backlog
A++
B
C
F
F-
#%&#@*&!
15. The goal of this life isn't to be
perfect but to be
progressively less stupid
- Marshall Rosenberg
16. Learning Outcomes
How user story mapping can help you with:
What to build first
Encouraging iterative development
Scoping the project
Planning the project
Prioritizing and grooming the backlog
Visualizing Project Progress
19. External Users will:
• Select a Contract/Group
• Enter Personal Info
• Select Benefits
• Enter Dependencies
• View Summary
• Submit an Enrollment
Internal Users will:
• Search Submitted
Enrollments
• View Submitted
Enrollment
• Process
Enrollment
Things Users Will Do
20. • Add Member Details
• Select Dental
coverage
• Select Vision
coverage
• Display Member
Detail Summary
• Show Confirmation
Page
• …
Identify User Stories
21. Move risky cards to the top
Identify Priorities.
Left to Right; Top Down
22. Release 1: Single, No kids, Dental Coverage Only, no Life & Disability
Identify the Smallest Release
Possible
30. To Summarize…
User story mapping helped us with:
What to build first
Encouraging iterative development
Scoping the project
Planning the project
Prioritizing and grooming the backlog
Visualizing Project Progress
49. #VisualizeProgress
#4 Duplicate cards on your
iteration/kanban board
instead of
leaving a hole in your map
Duplicated card
User Story Map
Kanban board
60. #WhatToBuildFirst #Iterative
#7 What to build first is key…
“Most of the time, we can create a
horizontal slice of the whole
application in one or two iterations”
– Jeff Patton
67. Back to your app.
Let’s practice that first slice.
68. What to build first?
• What are the risks/assumptions for this
project?
• What are things we can do without?
• What subset of users might we focus on?
• Etc…
What small stories would you need to build a
horizontal slice of the whole app in 1-2
iterations?
** Write your top 4 **
70. Links
My blog: User Story Map series:
How to create: http://winnipegagilist.blogspot.ca/2012/03/how-to-create-userstory-map.html
How to prioritize: http://winnipegagilist.blogspot.com/2013/02/how-to-prioritizeuser-story-map.html
Tips for facilitation: http://winnipegagilist.blogspot.com/2012/12/tips-forfacilitating-user-story.html
Jeff Patton articles:
- http://www.agileproductdesign.com/blog/the_new_backlog.html
- http://www.agileproductdesign.com/writing/how_you_slice_it.pdf
DotNetRocks podcast:
- Show #750: http://www.dotnetrocks.com/default.aspx?showNum=750
This presentation:
- http://www.slideshare.net/SteveRogalsky/user-story-mapping-in-practice