User story

What It Means

A user story is an informal description of something a product should do, written from the point of view of the person who will use it. Atlassian's agileAgileA way of working, set out in the 2001 Agile Manifesto, that delivers in small pieces, gets feedback early and adjusts the plan as it learns. See more coach gives the common template: "As a [persona], I [want to], [so that]." The persona says who it's for, the want says what they're trying to do without prescribing how, and the "so that" says why it matters to them. In ScrumScrumA lightweight framework, defined in the Scrum Guide, in which a small team delivers work in fixed-length Sprints of one month or less and adjusts after each one. See more, teams often write Product BacklogProduct backlogIn Scrum, the ordered list of everything needed to improve a product, and the single source of work for the Scrum Team. See more items this way, though the Scrum Guide doesn't require it.

How People Say It

• "Write it up as a story and put it on the backlog."
• "Who's the user in this story?"
• "That story's too big, it's really an epic."

The Breakdown

How to write a user story

1. Name the person: a specific kind of user, as Atlassian's guide puts it, a persona rather than only a job title.
2. Write what they want to do, in their words, without describing screens or buttons.
3. Add why they want it, the bigger benefit behind the request.
4. Read it back as one sentence: "As a..., I want to..., so that...."
5. As Buhata's own suggestion, agree with the team how you'll know it's finished before anyone starts building.
6. If it's too big to finish in one stretch of work, split it into smaller stories.

How stories fit with bigger work (per Atlassian)

Short version to try today. Take one item on your to-do listTo-do listA written list of the tasks you plan to do, checked or crossed off as each one is finished. See more and rewrite it as a story for the person it helps. "Fix the porch light" becomes "As a guest arriving at night, I want the porch lit so that I can find the steps."

Good to Know

Scrum.org describes writing Product Backlog items as user stories as a complementary practice that can help a team focus on customer value and isn't mandatory. Atlassian's guide stresses that the "want" should stay free of any particular implementation, so the team keeps room to find the best way to deliver it.

Related Terms and Categories

• Product backlog

  In Scrum, the ordered list of everything needed to improve a product, and the single source of work for the Scrum Team.

• Backlog refinement

  The ongoing Scrum activity of splitting Product Backlog items into smaller, clearer ones and adding details such as a description, order and size.

• Story points

  A unit agile teams use to estimate the relative effort of a piece of work, weighing its size, complexity and uncertainty rather than hours.

• Definition of done

  In Scrum, the formal description of the quality a piece of work must reach before it counts as part of the Increment.

• Sprint backlog

  In Scrum, the Sprint Goal, the Product Backlog items chosen for the Sprint and the Developers' plan for delivering them, kept visible and updated daily.

Productivity methods and focus