Creating a backlog of user stories is pretty straight forward but it doesn't help you when it comes to decisions like what to build first, how to prioritize and groom the backlog, how to scope and plan the project, and how to visualize progress. The traditional backlog is simply too flat and often too long to help you see the bigger picture and make good decisions. User Story Mapping helps simplify all of these common project issues. By adding a third dimension to your backlog, your team will make better decisions about priorities, scope, and planning while improving your ability to visualize progress. In this practical session I’ll cover the basics of user story mapping before walking you through case studies of how our teams are using this approach and the results we are achieving. I'll show you the before, during, and after pictures from several projects so that you can understand how our maps progress during the projects and how we use them to influence iterative development, promote good decision making, and visualize priorities, plans, scope and progress.

1. User Story Mapping
in Practice
#Agile2013 / #SDEC13

2. Steve Rogalsky
@SRogalsky
Blog.protegra.com
Steve.Rogalsky@protegra.com

3. Story Time!

4. My First “Agile” Project
Retail costing/pricing system
Item
Search
Item
Maintenance
Factor
Maintance
Costing
Engine
Pricing
Engine
Cost/Price
Prototyper

5. My First “Agile” Project
Retail costing/pricing system
Item
Search
A++
Item
Maintenance
Factor
Maintance
Costing
Engine
Pricing
Engine
Cost/Price
Prototyper

6. My First “Agile” Project
Retail costing/pricing system
Item
Search
A++
Item
Maintenance
B+
Factor
Maintance
Costing
Engine
Pricing
Engine
Cost/Price
Prototyper

7. My First “Agile” Project
Retail costing/pricing system
Item
Search
A++
Item
Maintenance
B
Factor
Maintance
C
Costing
Engine
Pricing
Engine
Cost/Price
Prototyper

8. My First “Agile” Project
Retail costing/pricing system
Item
Search
A++
Item
Maintenance
B
Factor
Maintance
C
Costing
Engine
F
Pricing
Engine
Cost/Price
Prototyper

11. My First “Agile” Project
Retail costing/pricing system
Item
Search
A++
Item
Maintenance
B
Factor
Maintance
C
Costing
Engine
F
Pricing
Engine
Cost/Price
Prototyper

12. My First “Agile” Project
Retail costing/pricing system
Item
Search
A++
Item
Maintenance
B
Factor
Maintance
C
Costing
Engine
F
Pricing
Engine
F-
Cost/Price
Prototyper

13. My First “Agile” Project
Retail costing/pricing system
Item
Search
A++
Item
Maintenance
B
Factor
Maintance
C
Costing
Engine
F
Pricing
Engine
F-
Cost/Price
Prototyper
#%&#@*&!

14. My First “Agile” Project
Retail costing/pricing system
Item
Search
Item
What
Maintenance
Factor
toMaintance
build first
Costing
Engine
Pricing
Engine
Cost/Price
Prototyper
Failed at iterative development
Scoping the project
Planning the project
Prioritizing and grooming the backlog
A++
B
C
F
F-
#%&#@*&!

15. The goal of this life isn't to be
perfect but to be
progressively less stupid
- Marshall Rosenberg

16. Learning Outcomes
How user story mapping can help you with:
What to build first
Encouraging iterative development
Scoping the project
Planning the project
Prioritizing and grooming the backlog
Visualizing Project Progress

17. Fast forward a little bit…

18. Another story, this time with a map

19. External Users will:
• Select a Contract/Group
• Enter Personal Info
• Select Benefits
• Enter Dependencies
• View Summary
• Submit an Enrollment
Internal Users will:
• Search Submitted
Enrollments
• View Submitted
Enrollment
• Process
Enrollment
Things Users Will Do

20. • Add Member Details
• Select Dental
coverage
• Select Vision
coverage
• Display Member
Detail Summary
• Show Confirmation
Page
• …
Identify User Stories

21. Move risky cards to the top
Identify Priorities.
Left to Right; Top Down

22. Release 1: Single, No kids, Dental Coverage Only, no Life & Disability
Identify the Smallest Release
Possible

23. Highlight Scope Changes

24. And now… Take a look at our
Project Plan

25. Green = Done
Blue = In Progress
Visualizing our progress

26. The beginning

27. Early in the project

28. Almost Done

29. All green = Done!

30. To Summarize…
User story mapping helped us with:
What to build first
Encouraging iterative development
Scoping the project
Planning the project
Prioritizing and grooming the backlog
Visualizing Project Progress

31. Your Turn

32. http://winnipegagilist.blogspot.ca/2012/
03/how-to-create-user-story-map.html

33. *We’ll start with the 2nd row

34. 1. [silently] “Things People Do”

35. 2. Read & Remove duplicates
Search
Email
Update
Contact
Create
Appt
Compose
Email
Delete
Email
View
Calendar
Read
Email
File
Emails
Delete
Contact
Update
Appt
View
Appt
Create
Contact

36. 3. [silently] Group
Search
Email
Update
Contact
Create
Appt
Compose
Email
Delete
Email
View
Calendar
Read
Email
File
Emails
Delete
Contact
Update
Appt
View
Appt
Create
Contact

37. 4. Name your groups
Manage
Email
Organize
Email
Manage
Calendar
Manage
Contacts

38. 5. Arrange left to right
Organize
Email
Search
Email
Manage
Calendar
Manage
Email
File
Emails
Compose
Email
Read
Email
Delete
Email
View
Calendar
Manage
Contacts
Create
Appt
Update
Appt
View
Appt
Create
Contact
Update
Contact
Delete
Contact

39. Your map may look similar to…

40. The Stories that maps tell…

41. #Planning #Scoping #Prioritizing #Grooming
#1 Visualization is awesome

42. #VisualizeProgress
Example: Nice clean
board to start.
#1 Visualization is awesome

43. #VisualizeProgress
After 2 weeks of
vacations…
Progress
#1 Visualization is awesome

44. #VisualizeProgress
But also, a lot of
Blockers & Issues!
#1 Visualization is awesome

45. #Scoping

46. #VisualizeProgress
“This visualization stuff,
it’s going to be good.”
- CEO/Owner

47. #2 Silent Brainstorming FTW

48. Nope. Why? Cognitive Ease
#3 USM (Backlog) as waste?

49. #VisualizeProgress
#4 Duplicate cards on your
iteration/kanban board
instead of
leaving a hole in your map
Duplicated card
User Story Map
Kanban board

50. #Planning #WhatToBuildFirst
#5 USM as MVP?

51. #Planning #WhatToBuildFirst
#5 USM as MVP!

52. #Scoping
At the beginning
#6 Good for an project.
(Even the easy ones)

53. #Scoping
Half way done. One new card

54. #Scoping
Almost done. Still only one new card.

55. #Scoping
Done. Only one new card.

56. #Scoping
At the beginning
#6 Good for any project.
(Even the hard ones)

57. #Scoping
After completing the first few stories,
we realized this project was *way*
bigger than we knew.

58. #Scoping
We quickly scaled it down to a
version that still (barely) met the
minimum project goals

59. #Scoping
Done!

60. #WhatToBuildFirst #Iterative
#7 What to build first is key…
“Most of the time, we can create a
horizontal slice of the whole
application in one or two iterations”
– Jeff Patton

61. #WhatToBuildFirst #Iterative
Objective vs.
Subjective Quality
Patterns we’ve used

62. #WhatToBuildFirst #Iterative
Single with only Dental
Pick a subset of users for the first
release.
Patterns we’ve used

63. #WhatToBuildFirst #Iterative
Ask: “If we went live early, what
could we do without in the first
release?”
Patterns we’ve used

64. #WhatToBuildFirst #Iterative
Not every task needs to be included
in the first relase
Patterns we’ve used

65. #WhatToBuildFirst #Iterative
Search? Only by ID.
All others later
Patterns we’ve used

66. #WhatToBuildFirst #Iterative
** Treat the project like a startup **
Look for assumptions & risks
Patterns we’ve used

67. Back to your app.
Let’s practice that first slice.

68. What to build first?
• What are the risks/assumptions for this
project?
• What are things we can do without?
• What subset of users might we focus on?
• Etc…
What small stories would you need to build a
horizontal slice of the whole app in 1-2
iterations?
** Write your top 4 **

69. http://www.slideshare.net/SteveRogalsky/user-story-mapping-in-practice
In Closing
User Story Maps can help you:
- Make better decisions
- Visualize progress
- Influence iterative development
- … Increase your ability to deliver
Steve Rogalsky
Thanks!
Questions
@SRogalsky
WinnipegAgilist@blogspot.com
Steve.Rogalsky@protegra.com

70. Links
My blog: User Story Map series:
How to create: http://winnipegagilist.blogspot.ca/2012/03/how-to-create-userstory-map.html
How to prioritize: http://winnipegagilist.blogspot.com/2013/02/how-to-prioritizeuser-story-map.html
Tips for facilitation: http://winnipegagilist.blogspot.com/2012/12/tips-forfacilitating-user-story.html
Jeff Patton articles:
- http://www.agileproductdesign.com/blog/the_new_backlog.html
- http://www.agileproductdesign.com/writing/how_you_slice_it.pdf
DotNetRocks podcast:
- Show #750: http://www.dotnetrocks.com/default.aspx?showNum=750
This presentation:
- http://www.slideshare.net/SteveRogalsky/user-story-mapping-in-practice