Agile development techniques generally emphasize frequent iterations. But even after adopting agile values, methods, and ceremonies, many organizations struggle to make such iterations work in practice. These organizations inevitably wrestle with agile rhythms until they learn to break up their work into small user stories that will fit within short iterations and allow for fast feedback. Stephen Frein discusses the importance of small user stories and how crucial they are to finishing the stories within the iteration and avoiding a mini-waterfall inside an iteration. After reviewing the characteristics of a good user story, Stephen introduces various techniques for identifying stories that could be decomposed into several other stories, along with accompanying practice exercises to help you get a good feel for the practical aspects of breaking up large stories. Join Stephen if you are having trouble finishing stories within their planned iterations or if your work seems to double in the last days of an iteration.
Stephen Frein
Comcast
Stephen Frein is a director of quality assurance at Comcast, where his team is responsible for the quality of various high-profile web properties, including Comcast.com. As an adjunct professor at Drexel University, Stephen delivers soporific lectures on database development and IT management at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. For fifteen years he has been leading development and testing teams—occasionally well—mostly by dint of accidents he cannot reliably replicate. Stephen has presented at previous conferences, including the Better Software Conference, by sneaking into unused rooms and deceiving the unsuspecting. He enjoys polluting the hive mind via frein.com.
Speaker Presentations
Wednesday, November 12, 2014 - 1:30pm
Product Definition
Crafting Smaller User Stories: Examples and Exercises