5 Common User Story Writing Mistakes

Summary

This video script outlines five common mistakes teams make while writing user stories and offers solutions to avoid them. It emphasizes the importance of avoiding excessive detail, steering clear of technical jargon, correctly identifying the 'why' to convey business value, using 'not' judiciously, and avoiding conjunctions that can complicate the story. By addressing these pitfalls, teams can enhance their development process and deliver better user experiences.

Takeaways

• 📝 Avoid adding too much detail in user stories to prevent stifling creativity and flexibility during development.
• 🔍 Postpone decisions on details that could constrain other solutions to keep the user story open for discussion.
• 🚫 Refrain from writing technical stories that may confuse stakeholders and instead focus on end-user value.
• 🔄 Utilize the 'five whys' technique to convert technical requirements into user stories that convey business value.
• 🤔 Clarify the business value in the 'so that' section of a user story to ensure it aligns with the end user's needs, not just business requirements.
• 🚫 Avoid using the word 'not' in user stories as it can lead to ambiguity and a lack of specificity in requirements.
• ✅ Reframe user stories without 'not' to make them more specific and verifiable, facilitating clear development goals.
• 🚫 Do not use conjunctions within a user story, as they often indicate that the story can be split into multiple, more focused stories.
• 🔑 Use acceptance criteria wisely to highlight logical points without overcomplicating the user story.
• 🛠 Writing user stories correctly is crucial for productive development and can significantly impact the project's success in the long run.
• 👍 Encouragement for viewers to engage with the content by liking, subscribing, and providing feedback in the comments.

Q & A

What are the common pitfalls in writing user stories according to the video?

The video outlines five common mistakes: adding too much detail, writing technical stories, writing the incorrect 'why', using the word 'not' within a user story, and using conjunctions within a user story.

Why can adding too much detail in a user story be problematic?

Adding too much detail can make it hard to change or come up with new ideas during development, and it can shut down conversations by implying that all questions have been answered.

How can we avoid adding too much detail in user stories?

By postponing decisions on details that constrain other solutions and writing user stories with as little detail as necessary to capture the intended product value.

What is a technical story and why is it problematic?

A technical story contains only design or technical requirements and is problematic because it may not convey the business value to the product owner and stakeholders, making it hard for them to assess its importance.

How can a technical story be converted into a user story?

Using the five whys technique to uncover the underlying business value and reframe the story from the perspective of the end-user.

What is the purpose of the 'so that' section in a user story?

The 'so that' section states the business value of the user story to the end user, explaining why the feature is beneficial to them.

Why should the word 'not' be avoided in user stories?

Using 'not' can make the story less specific and harder to verify, as it implies a condition that can never be fully met.

How can the use of conjunctions in a user story be problematic?

Conjunctions often indicate that a single user story can be broken down into multiple stories, which can lead to confusion and a lack of focus.

What is an example of a user story that has too many specific details?

The example given is an online bank customer wanting to sign into their account with detailed acceptance criteria like denying access after five failed attempts, providing a password retrieval option, assisting in creating strong passwords, and providing an option to change login details.

What is the improved version of the user story about a customer ordering food and locating previous orders?

The improved story is: 'As a customer ordering food, I want to locate previous orders so that I can select a different item to eat this time.'

Why is it important to write user stories correctly?

Writing user stories correctly is important because incorrect user stories can sabotage productive development, and taking the time to write them well will pay off in the long run.

What feedback does the video encourage viewers to provide?

The video encourages viewers to provide valuable feedback in the comments section after watching.