How to write effective user stories in agile development?

The software world has been changing rapidly. A new engineering approach is at the heart of these changes. Agile software development methodologies have revolutionized the world of software engineering. This comes by embracing self-organizing teams, flexibility, and iterative development. However, user stories are more important than ever in gathering proper requirements.

The Waterfall Method

Traditional software engineering used the waterfall method. This is where each step of the software engineering process is completed before moving on to the next step. However, it tends to create bloated software that lags behind the needs of the users. Agile methodologies seek to address these inefficiencies. It is accomplished by running through software development stages in short iterations.  These are called sprints. At the heart of these sprints are user stories. They are the ideas your engineering teams will put into action.

User Stories

User stories approach software problems from the user’s perspective. They place developers in the shoes of their customers. These replace traditional software specifications, which outline some functionality expected of the software. Each user story consists of a way in which a user would hope to interact with the application.

For example, a user might wish to visit the website, log in to their account, and check the remaining balance from a gift card. The team writes out this user story. Then the functionality is designed around it. In this way, engineers and designers can empathize with users. Thus, allowing them to build their product to meet their needs more effectively.

However, writing quality user stories can be challenging. Engineers and designers have a nuanced understanding of their products. Thus, they may not easily place themselves in an individual’s shoes trying the product for the first time. Furthermore, stories can be vague or even fail to reflect their actual user base’s needs. That leads to products that do not do what the customer needs. Developing best practices around writing and managing your user stories will help your team’s efforts stay aligned to your customers’ needs.

Writing Quality User Stories

There is no silver bullet for writing good user stories. However, incorporating best practices will increase the overall quality of the stories your teams come up with. Ensure that writing these stories is a collaborative process. Note that empathizing with your user base will be easier for teams than individuals who only bring a single perspective to the process.

Stories should be as concise as possible. Using a simple template for stories will help developers keep them from becoming overly verbose or too complex. Likewise, it is important that these user stories remain visible and accessible to the team at all times. That allows them to remember the goals they are working towards.

Getting It Right

There are pitfalls for teams to avoid as well. Often, user stories aren’t refined until they’re testable, which keeps them from being resolved. Ensure that all stories your teams work on meet certain criteria before they’re released. Remember that user stories can’t define all possible requirements. Likewise, ensure that teams do not get locked into thinking about their product solely in those terms.

Meet User Needs

It is also important for executives and product managers to ensure that the targeted users’ real-world needs are being met in the stories. Participation by all stakeholders in product development can be the difference between the success and failure of that product. It is the job of management to ensure that participation takes place.

Agile software development incorporates user stories because it allows for more flexibility than traditional specifications. They also force developers and designers to see the product from the end user’s perspective. That leads to a more useful and better-received product for your client at the end of the day. Build best practices around user stories into your teams’ development process. When you do, the quality of your teams’ output and their software’s suitability will increase dramatically.