Finding the 'Seams': Making User Stories Smaller
When we adopt agile practices and a lean mindset, we make great promises to ourselves but we often encounter difficulties in creating user stories that are of high quality and utility. Mitch Goldstein describes why user stories and their value are the currency of agile and lean software development. Mitch illustrates why making smaller and more nimble stories significantly increases the likelihood of a story's completion and success. What do we look for in user stories that tell us they need to be split? Are there certain words or phrases that identify stories as good candidates for splitting? Mitch shares valuable tips for more effective stories, as well as how to enhance your expertise and reduce angst in estimation and prioritization. Small stories lay the groundwork for great agile successes.
Summa Technologies’ first technical agile coach, Mitch Goldstein has more than thirty years of experience in the software development industry, working with agile principles and teams since they came into common use. A pioneer of object-oriented development, enterprise platforms, and Java user interface development, he has spent years honing his craft as a consultant for investment, accounting, insurance, and healthcare organizations. A published author and technical journalist, Mitch has transitioned from developer to an agile coach, focused on creating high-performance teams and transitioning organizations to the Scaled Agile Framework. Mitch lives just east of Pittsburgh, where he and the city have happily adopted each other.