Breaking Down User Stories – some resources

This is a much-requested topic.

Here are some resources.  I will try to add comments on all of them.  They each give you a different angle, a different picture.  At bottom a few of my tips.

•  20 Ways to Split Stories.  By Bill Wake.  https://xp123.com/twenty-ways-to-split-stories/

Bill is a smart guy, and you can talk to him.  His list, to me, is rather abstract. I suggest you take his list, and start to make examples related to each category, based on your domain, your kind of work.  The Parent and maybe 5-6 children.

• How to break down User Stories to deliver value sooner  https://okrquickstart.com/post/how-to-breakdown-user-stories-to-deliver-value-sooner

Two wins here. You also get a reference to Richard Lawrence’s article: https://www.humanizingwork.com/the-humanizing-work-guide-to-splitting-user-stories/

• 10 useful strategies for breaking down large User Stories.  https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/10-useful-strategies-breaking-down-large-user-stories-verwijs/
• The Art of Story Splitting: How to Break Down User Stories.  https://medium.com/@muratkoylu85/the-art-of-story-splitting-how-to-break-down-user-stories-962f191cce5a
• 10 techniques to Agile Split User Stories.   https://ancaonuta.medium.com/how-to-split-user-stories-b55f20ea0a4e
• Five Story-Splitting Mistakes and How to Stop Making Them.   https://www.mountaingoatsoftware.com/blog/five-story-splitting-mistakes-and-how-to-stop-making-them

 

My Tips

• Goethe: “Everything’s impossible until it becomes easy.”  That is, it is impossible if you have no idea what you’re doing. Then, if you practice, practice, practice, you can become a lot better quickly.
• Find an expert nearby.  Maybe in your company, or in your city.  Ask for help from the story-splitting expert.
• Stories represent both value and effort.  Or benefit and cost.
• Everyone can help; the whole team and maybe others. (This was basically Mike Cohn’s first suggestion.)
• Later, the question is not “can I break down this story?”.  The question becomes, what is the best what to break down this story to release the value for the least effort.  The 80-20 idea.

 

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