Impact Maps and Story Maps: delivering what really matters
1. DELIVERING WHAT REALLY MATTERS
Impact Maps and
Story Maps
Christian Hassa - ch@techtalk.ch - Twitter: @chrishassa
Swiss Requirements Day Zurich, June 18th 2014
3. 9
What makes user stories agile?
• Describe user needs or features
• Unit of planning/prioritization
Help solving the right problem
•Solution options
•Mechanism to defer detail
•Reminder for a conversation
•Evolve over time:
desired outcome specification
4. 10
People fear uncertainty:
They rather make a decision now and
run the risk of being wrong,
than continue in a state of
uncertainty.
- Chris Matts (@papachrismatts)
17. 23
Zone of influence
Zone of control
Influence vs. Control
Goal
Actors
Impacts
Deliverables
Increase turnover 3%
Increase
block buster
market share
Increase peak sales
One-Click
purchase
Mobile User Call Center
Buy more
online
Buy without
call center
Sell faster
Stop
cross selling
Purchase
with SMS
Mobile
Website
19. 25
Story Maps
• Target particular
stakeholder impacts
• Slice and refine
deliverables (releases)
• Support backlog
management
• Inject dependent
features
• Overview and
collaboration
• Release planning
• Flexible scope Conceived by Jeff Patton in 2005
21. 27
Focus on impacts and user experience
Goal
Actors
Impacts
Deliverables
Increase
block buster
market share
Increase peak sales
One-Click
purchase
Mobile User
Buy more
online
Mobile
Website
22. 28
Sphere of control
Sphere of influence
Product Backlog:
Sphere of control
User Journey: Sphere of influence
Structure
Discover
concerts
Purchase
tickets
Learn
more
Attend
concert
Upcoming
ticket sales
Additional
artist info
Pay by
credit card
Pay by
invoice
Print paper
ticket
Validate
ticket using
NCF
Concert
news
Likely order of
events
Mobile users
Buy more
online
Visit site
more often
Blockbuster
concert info
One-click
purchase
Deliverables
Impacts
User Activities
User Stories
23. 29
Structure
Hears about
concert
Tries to get
tickets
Waits for
concert
Attends
concert
Upcoming
ticket sales
Additional
artist info
Pay by
credit card
Pay by
invoice
Print paper
ticket
Validate
ticket using
NCF
Concert
news
Likely order of
events
Mobile user
24. 30
Prioritize per user activity
Hears about
concert
Tries to get
tickets
Waits for
concert
Attends
concert
Upcoming
ticket sales
Additional
artist info
Pay by
credit card
Pay by
invoice
Print paper
ticket
Validate
ticket using
NCF
Concert
news
Priority
Likely order of
events
Mobile user
25. 31
Walking
Skeleton
Prioritize slices
Upcoming
ticket sales
Additional
artist info
Pay by
credit card
Pay by
invoice
Print paper
ticket
Validate
ticket using
NCF
Concert
news
Priority
Manual
workaround
Not
supported
Hears about
concert
Tries to get
tickets
Waits for
concert
Attends
concert Likely order of
events
Mobile user
26. 32
Prioritize for deliverable
Visits site
more often
Blockbuster
concert info
Hears about
concert
Tries to get
tickets
Waits for
concert
Attends
concert Likely order of
events
Upcoming
ticket sales
Additional
artist info
Pay by
credit card
Pay by
invoice
Print paper
ticket
Validate
ticket using
NCF
Concert
news
Mobile user
27. 33
Prioritize for deliverable
Visits site
more often
Blockbuster
concert info
Hears about
concert
Tries to get
tickets
Waits for
concert
Attends
concert Likely order of
events
Upcoming
ticket sales
Additional
artist info
Pay by
credit card
Pay by
invoice
Print paper
ticket
Validate
ticket using
NCF
Concert
news
Mobile user
28. 34
Validate impact
Visits site
more often
Blockbuster
concert info
Hears about
concert
Tries to get
tickets
Waits for
concert
Attends
concert Likely order of
events
Upcoming
ticket sales
Additional
artist info
Pay by
credit card
Pay by
invoice
Print paper
ticket
Validate
ticket using
NCF
Concert
news
Impact on user
behaviour?
Impact on
business goal?
Mobile user
30. 36
Candidate Voter
Fund-
management
More
candidates
run for
election
More voters
participate in
election
Less effort
approving
candidates
Online
application
Candidates
published
online
Online voting
Shared
checklist
Other
funds
Use system
for their
elections
Customizable
branding
Pension Fund
More candidates
Higher voter turnout
No „silent“ elections
Broader
legitimised
committee
Reduced external costs
Less personnel effort
Additional revenue
Reduced cost
for running
elections
Less effort
counting
votes
31. 37
Nominate candidates
Story Map with initial backlog
83
76
58
78
59
60
61
63
8082
55
54
56
52
48
48.2
48.1
49
50
77
46
44
42
41
36 34 39
38 32
28
29
25
21
20 23
17
15 13 8
9
11
10
Provision and support
Vote and determine results
3 User Journeys
User Stories of
Initial Product Backlog
39. 45
Candidate Voter
Fund-
management
More
candidates
run for
election
More voters
participate in
election
Less effort
approving
candidates
Online
application
Candidates
published
online
Online voting
Shared
checklist
Other
funds
Use system
for their
elections
Customizable
branding
Pension Fund
More candidates
Higher voter turnout
No „silent“ elections
Broader
legitimised
committee
Reduced external costs
Less personnel effort
Additional revenue
Reduced cost
for running
elections
Less effort
counting
votes
Candidates
67 368
Staff
14 4
Customers
0
Project successful?
47. 53
Linking within ALM
Refinement for
Sprint planning
Link with Sprint Backlog
(Tasks, Taskboard, Burndown)
Drill into Details
(Specification-By-Example)
52. 58
Key takeaways
User Stories != Specifications
•Just options, might be even dropped
•Refine only as certainty grows
Strategic planning with Impact Maps
•Associate business assumptions with
(IT) deliverables
•Measure outcomes to validate assumptions
Tactical planning with Story Maps
•Optimize deliverables to user needs
•Measure impacts to tighten feedback loop