from unclear and unrealistic requirements to achievable user stories

AW7Session6/8/161:30PM

FromUnclearandUnrealisticRequirementstoAchievableUser

Stories

Presentedby:

JamieCooke

BothHemispheres,LLC

Broughttoyouby:

350CorporateWay,Suite400,OrangePark,FL32073888---268---8770··[email protected]://www.techwell.com/

JamieCookeBothHemispheres,LLCAsaseniorsolutionsconsultant,businessanalyst,andprojectmanager,JamieLynnCookehasdeliveredsuccessfulsolutionsformanyorganizationsacrosstwenty-sixindustrysectorsinAustralia,Canada,andtheUnitedStates.Shehasworkedwitheverytypeofuseryoucanimagine—andsomethatyouwouldnotbelieve—toturntheirabstract,unclear,andunrealisticrequirementsintoachievablebusinesssolutions.Passionateaboutproductivity,JamieLynnspendshersparetimeresearchingandtrialingmethodsthathelppeoplemaximizetheeffectivenessoftheirwork.Sheisanawardwinningauthorofseveralbooksonagilemethods,includingThePoweroftheAgileBusinessAnalyst.

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FROMUNCLEARANDUNREALISTICREQUIREMENTSTOACHIEVABLEUSERSTORIES

JamieLynnCookeCSM,CSPOBothHemispheres,LLCe-Builder

©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide2

"Whatdoyouwantthesystemtodo?"

§  Loadedquestion….§  Widevarietyofpossiblesolutionstoaddressbusinessneeds

§  Responsescanbeanythingfromfuzzy,highlevelrequirementstoextremelydetailedtechnicalfeatures

§  Heavilydependsonwhoisansweringthequestion

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Inanidealworld,theProductOwner:

§  Intimatelyunderstandsthebusinessrequirements

§  Accuratelyrepresentstheperspectivesandprioritiesofallstakeholders

§  Isabletoarticulaterequirementsasrealisticbusiness-drivencapabilities

§  Establishesclearprioritiesandunderstandsthatnoteveryfeatureismission-critical

§  Isopentoteamfeedbackandadjustments§  UnderstandsandvaluesAgilethinking


Inreality,ProductOwnersvaryintheir:

§  Scopeofknowledge§  Depthofknowledge§  Pointsofreference§  ExperiencewithAgilemethods§  Technicalexpertise§  Flexibility§  Decisiveness§  Empowermentandauthority§  (Availability)

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FourcommonProductOwnerchallenges:

1.  The“bigpicture”productowner2.  The“aspiringdeveloper”productowner3.  The“kidinacandystore”productowner4.  The“seesaw”productowner

Whichisyourmostcommonchallenge?


The“BigPicture”ProductOwner:

§  Epicthinking§  Highleveldescriptionsofrequirements§  Unabletodescribe(ordecideon)specificsystembehavior

§  Maybelimitedby:ú  Perspectiveú  Depthofknowledgeú  Fearofbeingresponsiblefordecisionsú  ….

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Example:GroceryHomeDeliveryService

As a customer, I

want to be able to

order groceries

online and have

them delivered to

my home so that I

do not need to

spend time at the

supermarket.

Priority: High

As a store manager,

I want to get enough

information for staff

to accurately fill

online customer

orders so that I can

avoid complaints

and returns.

Priority: High

As an executive, I

want to use online

orders to expand

our customer base

by 12% so that we

can increase our

profits.

Priority: High


BreakingDowntheRequirements:FirstTechnique:Askforthestory

§  Tellmeaboutthe“bestcase”….ú  Atypicalcustomerorderingexperienceú  Howthewarehousefillsordersú  Acceptableformsofpaymentú  ….

§  Tellmeabouttheexceptions….ú  Unusualcustomerordersú  Whatyoudowhenitemsareoutofstockú  Handlingreturnsandreplacementitemsú  ….

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BreakingDowntheRequirements:FirstTechnique:Askforthestory

§  Forcespracticalthinkingandtangibleoutcomes§  Solidifiesexpectations§  Givesincidentaldetails§  Exposesknowledgegaps§  Establishespriorities§  Describesacceptablealternativeoptions


BreakingDowntheRequirements:SecondTechnique:Askleadingquestions

§  Cancustomersplacesamedayorders?Whatisthecutofftimefororders?

§  Isthereaminimumorderamount?§  Isthereatimelimitforchangingorcancellingorders?§  Howisrealtimeproductandinventoryinformation

maintained?§  Doesthewarehouseneedspecialpackingmaterials?§  Aredeliveryvansequippedwithrefrigeratedstorage?§  Whatdoyoudowhen….

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BreakingDowntheRequirements:SecondTechnique:Askleadingquestions

§  ChallengestheProductOwner’sperspective§  EngagestheProductOwnerinfindingsolutions§  Forcespracticalthinkingandtangibleoutcomes§  Distinguishesexpectedsystembehaviorfrom

exceptioncases§  Solidifiesexpectations§  Givesincidentaldetails§  Exposesknowledgegaps§  Describesacceptablealternativeoptions


BreakingDowntheRequirements:ThirdTechnique:Detailtheacceptancecriteria

§  Getmeasurabledefinitionsofsuccessfor:ú  Thecustomer

  Selectingitemstoorder   Placingtheorder   Schedulingdelivery   Payingfortheorder

ú  Thewarehouse   Fillingtheorder   Packingtheorder   Handlingdamagedoroutofstockitems

ú  Thedeliverydriver   Gettingtothecustomerlocation

  Findingtheorderonthetruck

  Confirmingtheorderwiththecustomer

  Handlingreturns,damageditems,missingitems

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BreakingDowntheRequirements:ThirdTechnique:Detailtheacceptancecriteria

§  Quantifiestheexpectations§  Forcesrealisticthinking§  Providesboundaries§  Establishespriorities§  Givesincidentaldetails§  Identifiesacceptablealternatives


BreakingDowntheRequirements:FourthTechnique:Splitthestory

Foreachstory,usetheseapproachestoelicitthedetails:§  Gothroughworkflowstepsbyrole§  Identifyexceptionsandvariationsin

• Usertypes• Businessrules

• Datatypes• Platforms

§  Devolvecompoundstatements§  Clarifyambiguoustermslike“manage”or

“process”

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PatternsforSplittingUserStories:http://agileforall.com/patterns-for-splitting-user-stories/10UsefulStrategiesforBreakingDownLargeUserStories:http://blog.agilistic.nl/10-useful-strategies-for-breaking-down-large-user-stories-and-a-cheatsheet/



§  Forcesdetailedthinking§  Isolatesindividualrequirements§  Identifiescommonalitiesandtrends§  Highlightsdifferences§  Establishesrelativepriorities§  Givesincidentaldetails§  Identifiesacceptablealternatives

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The“AspiringDeveloper”ProductOwner:

§  Technicalviewofthesolution§  Highlydetailedsystembehavior§  Minimalreferencetobusinessrequirements§  Maybelimitedby:

ú  Perspectiveú  Scopeanddepthofknowledgeú  Previousprojectchallengesú  ….



As a customer, I

want to be able to

order groceries

through a browser

or mobile device so

that I can place an

order wherever I am.

Priority: High

As a warehouse

manager, I want to

use our existing

fleet of refrigerated

trucks so that I do

not need to budget

for new equipment.

Priority: High

As a delivery driver,

I want to have a

wireless device for

customer signatures

so that I can

complete the order

at their door.

Priority: High

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As a developer, I want

the home grocery

delivery payments to use

our current credit card

processing system so

that I do not need to

build and maintain

customized payment

methods.

Priority: High


MovingfromTechnicaltoBusinessRequirements:

Eliminatingtheobviousquestion:

Whatiftheproductdoesnothavefrontendusers,e.g.systemsintegration,andtechnicalstoriesarerequired?

SeeMikeCohn’sresponse:https://www.mountaingoatsoftware.com/blog/writing-user-stories-for-back-end-systems

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FirstTechnique:Buildupthestory

§  Acknowledgethevalidityofthetechnicalrequirements

§  Refocusthediscussiononthebusinessstoryú  Tryaskingforthe“bestcase”andexceptionscenarios

(iftheProductOwnercaneasilyswitchperspectives)ú  Ifnot,workupwardfromthestoriesprovided,e.g.You

saidthatyouwantcustomerstobeabletoordergroceriesthroughabrowser:   Whatwilltheyseewhentheyenterthewebsite?   Howwilltheychoosetheproductstheywant?   Whathappenswhentheyselect[PlaceOrder]?



FirstTechnique:Buildupthestory

§  WorksfromtheProductOwner’spointofreference§  Forcesenduserthinking§  Putstechnicalrequirementsincontext§  Solidifiesexpectations§  Givesincidentaldetails§  Exposesknowledgegaps§  Establishespriorities§  Describesacceptablealternativeoptions

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SecondTechnique:LeverageExistingSystems

§  Walkthroughsimilarsolutionsfromtheenduserperspective:ú  Whatfeaturesdotheylike?ú  Whatfeaturesareessential,“nicetohave”and

unnecessary?ú  Whatwouldtheyimprove?

§  Compareandcontrastmultiplesolutions§  Incorporatetechnicalrequirementsinthestorywhere

relevant

Thistechniquecanalsobeusedtosolidifythinkingforthe“BigPicture”ProductOwner




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§  Alignswithtechnicalperspective§  Forcesenduserthinking§  Solidifiesexpectations§  Givesincidentaldetails§  Identifiespriorities§  Describesacceptablealternativeoptions

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ThirdTechnique:AskforSubjectMatterExpertConsultation

§  Caveat:Treadlightly§  DesireistosupplementProductOwner

knowledgenottoreplaceorundermineit§  Requestspecificknowledgeareas:

ú  Customerserviceú  Warehouseú  Storemanagementú  Endusers

§  DefertoProductOwnerfordecisions



ThirdTechnique:AskforSubjectMatterExpertConsultation

§  Forcesenduserthinking§  Putstechnicalrequirementsincontext§  Solidifiesexpectations§  Givesincidentaldetails§  Establishespriorities§  Describesacceptablealternativeoptions§  RetainsProductOwnerauthority

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The“KidinaCandyStore”ProductOwner

§  Everythingiscriticalpriority§  Waterfallthinking§  Limitedunderstandingofrelativebusinessvalue§  Noincentivetoprioritize§  Maybelimitedby:

ú  Perspectiveú  Scopeanddepthofknowledgeú  Fearofmakingdecisionsú  Fearoffailureú  ….



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Priority: Critical

Xxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx

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Priority: Critical

Xxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx

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Priority: Critical

Xxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx

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Priority: Critical

Xxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx

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Priority: Critical

Xxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx

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xxxxx.

Priority: Critical

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The“SeeSaw”ProductOwner

§  Cannotmake(orstickto)decisionsonpriorities§  Anotherexampleofwaterfallthinking§  Limitedbusinessknowledge(orunderstanding

ofrelativebusinessvalue)§  Noincentivetoprioritize§  Maybelimitedby:

ú  Fearofmakingdecisionsú  Fearoffailureú  Perspectiveú  Scopeanddepthofknowledgeú  ….



As a customer, I

want to be able to

see the complete

grocery list before I

pay so that I can

confirm that all

required items are

included.

Medium

High Priority: High Low

As a store manager,

I want to product

numbers included

on each order so

that staff can find

them in the

warehouse.

Priority: High

Critical As an delivery

driver, I want

refrigerated items

listed together so

that I can get all of

them out of the truck

at the same time.

High

Priority: Medium

High

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GettingtoRealisticPriorities:

FirstTechnique:ReinforceAgileThinking

§  Fearoffailureinprioritysettingisoftenbasedonwaterfallthinking

§  AssureProductOwnerthat:ú  PrioritysettinginanAgileenvironmentisanemergentprocess

ú  Therewillbeongoingopportunitiestoreviewbuiltfeaturesandtoadjustprioritiesasneeded

ú  Theycontrolthedefinitionof“done”andapprovalforrelease



FirstTechnique:ReinforceAgileThinking

§  Combatsthe“oncechancetogetitright”mindset

§  Switchesthefocusfromprioritizationtorequirementsclarification

§  Encouragescollaboration§  Buildstrust

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SecondTechnique:LeveragetheMVP

§  IdentifyingtheMinimumViableProduct(MVP)assurestheProductOwnerthatallessentialfeatureswillbeincluded

§  FreestheAgileteamtoprioritizebythe:ú  Amountofinvestigationandexperimentation

requiredú  Highestriskú  Longestleadtimeú  Etc.



SecondTechnique:LeveragetheMVP

§  Removesbusiness-drivenprioritizationfromtheequation

§  RemovestheProductOwner’sriskofmakingthewrongdecision

§  Switchesthefocustorequirementsclarification

§  Encouragescollaboration§  Buildstrust

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WhatiftheProductOwnerstillinsistsonprioritizingbybusinessvalue?

QuickAnswer:Assignabusinessvaluetoeachstoryandorderthemtopdownfromthehighestbusinessvaluestorytothelowest

Itisnotalwaysthatsimple….



MaybeachievableiftheProductOwnercanquantifybusinessvaluein:§  Reductionofcost§  Reductionoftime§  Reductionofrisk§  Customer/Stakeholdersatisfaction§  Eliminationofwaste§  Reductionofcomplexity§  Improvementtoquality

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Wheredothesebusinessvaluequantificationscomefrom?§  Baselinemetrics?§  Empiricalevidence?§  Extensivemarketresearch?§  Speculationandeducatedguesses?Moreoftenthannot,theyarebasedontheProductOwner’sperspective



AssigningbusinessvaluestouserstoriesisanespeciallycontroversialtopicintheAgileworld:§  “Businessvalueprioritizationcanonlybedoneattheepiclevel”

§  “Youshouldprioritizethehighestbusinessvaluefeaturesfirst,thenwriteuserstoriesforeach”

Theissuemaybeinfocusingtooheavilyontheword“priorities”

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ThirdTechnique:Remove“Priority”Language

§  Replaceemotivetermslike“criticalpriority”and“lowpriority”by:ú  Requestingnumericaltop-downorderinginsteadof

prioritiesú  Using“planningpoker”forbusinessvalueassignment

(extremelyeffectivewhentheProductOwnerisworkingwithotherSMEs)

§  IftheProductOwnerstillinsistsonusingpriorities,tryaskingforrelativeprioritieslike“morecritical”and“mostcritical”



ThirdTechnique:Remove“Priority”Language

§  Removesthepressureofmakinglanguagebasedpriorityjudgmentcalls,e.g.whatshouldbe“critical”versus“high”

§  Doesnotdevaluethestoriesatthebottomofthebacklogbycallingthem“lowpriority”

§  Focusestheteamontheorderofdeliveryinsteadoftheterminology

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FourthTechnique:Selectthe“TopFive”

§  Conductaroleplayingscenario:Executivemanagementwillonlyallocateaninitialbudgetforbuildingfivestories.Theywanttoseeademonstrationofthefivestoriesfullybuiltandfullytestedtodetermineifadditionalfundingshouldbeallocated.Whichfivestorieswouldyouchooseandwhy?

Puttheselectedstoriesatthetopofthebacklogandthenrepeattheexercisewiththeremainingstories,puttingthenewlyselectedstoriesdirectlybeneaththepreviousones



FourthTechnique:Selectthe“TopFive”

§  Forces:ú  Criticalthinkingú  Decision-makingú  Justificationofselectedstories

§  Removesthechallengeoftryingtoordertheentirebacklog

§  Answeringthe“why”questioncanelicitkeydetailsandinsightsintoeachstoryselected(andnotselected)

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FifthTechnique:Selectthe“Bottom10%”

§  Conductaroleplayingscenario:

Executivemanagementcutstheproductbudgetby10%.Youneedtoremove10%ofthestoriesfromthebacklog.Whichstorieswouldyouchoosetocutandwhy?

Putthecutstoriesatthebottomofthebacklogandthenrepeattheexercisewiththeremainingstories,puttingthenewlycutstoriesontopofthepreviousones



FifthTechnique:Selectthe“Bottom10%”

§  Minimizestheseverityofthedecision§  Forces:

ú  Criticalthinkingú  Justificationofeliminatedstories

§  Removesthechallengeoftryingtoordertheentirebacklog

§  Answeringthe“why”questioncanelicitkeydetailsandinsightsintoeachstoryremoved(andtheonesthatremain)

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QuickPlugforMyBooks

§  AgileProductivityUnleashed:ProvenApproachesforAchievingRealProductivityGainsinAnyOrganization

§  Agile:AnExecutiveGuide:RealResultsfromITbudgets

§  EverythingYouWanttoKnowaboutAgile:HowtoGetAgileResultsinaLess-than-AgileOrganization

§  ThePoweroftheAgileBusinessAnalyst:30SurprisingWaysaBusinessAnalystCanAddValuetoYourAgileDevelopmentTeam

§  PRINCE2Agile™:AnImplementationPocketGuide(coming)


TheGoal:AchievableUserStories

Questions?

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TheGoal:AchievableUserStoriesIfyouwanttocontactme:§  Amavailableafterthissession§  Amalsoholdingone-on-onespeakersessionsonThursday

§  Sendmeyourquestions:[email protected]

Thankyouforyourtime!

from unclear and unrealistic requirements to achievable user stories

Software