Product and strategy
User story map
Also called Story mapping
Lay out what a user does from left to right, the details under each step, then slice releases across the map.
- Time60 to 120 minutes
- People3 to 10 people
- Steps4
What it's for
A flat backlog hides the shape of the product. A story map keeps it: the user's journey runs across the top, the detail hangs underneath, and horizontal slices show which pieces make a first usable release, rather than finishing one feature at a time.
Use it to plan a new product or a large feature with everyone who will build it.
How to run it
Walk the journey10 min
Name the big activities across the top, in order. Rename the column headings.
Add the steps15 min
Under each activity, the steps the user takes.
Fill in the details20 min
Stories and options under each step, most important highest.
Slice releases20 min
Move the stories for the smallest useful release into Release 1, then the next.
Tips
- The first release should let a user get all the way through the journey, however roughly.
- Tell the story out loud, left to right. Gaps become obvious.
Where it comes from
Developed by Jeff Patton and described in User Story Mapping (2014).
Pairs well with
Journey map
Map what a person does, thinks and feels at each stage of getting something done, and find where it goes wrong.
MoSCoW prioritisation
Sort requirements into must have, should have, could have and won't have this time, to agree scope against a fixed deadline.
Now, next, later
A roadmap in three columns instead of dates: what the team is doing now, what comes next, and what's further out.