Write detailed user stories when you must

We use user stories to capture business requirements when adopting an agile way of working. However, we still gather traditional business requirements with use cases.

User stories are brief placeholders that represent complete stakeholder requirements. These placeholders emphasize who, what, and why. The story’s purpose is to start the conversation. While we talk, we must further elaborate the requirements through collaboration with the development team.

Some diehards insist that user stories are written only in the following recognizable format: “As a thing-doer, I want this thing to happen so that I can gain this benefit.” Who, What, and Why!

We can speak most of our stories, but we must write others to make them effective.

Here are five (5) reasons to write detailed user stories:

• Distance
• Time
• Complexity
• Compliance
• Survival

Distance

When our team members are not physically co-located, they cannot collaborate on the story by walking around. The story must have enough detail for members to agree when it is done.

Time

When working remotely, I find the time difference a more significant challenge than the physical distance. The six(6)-hour time difference between cities in the Eastern United States and Europe means there is only a two(2)-hour window for a member working in New York to talk to a colleague working in Stockholm. Detail stories help continue and connect the conversation over time.

Complexity

it is easier to show me than to tell me. Imagine a conversation about how information flows between 50 or more interconnected systems without a visual tool to guide the conversation. Do not gloss over important details to keep the story short.

Compliance

Detail stories are essential to establish a paper trail for compliance frameworks like Sarbanes Oxley and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Survival

Knowledge preservation and transfer are necessary for the survival of teams that must adapt quickly to ever-changing requirements. Detail-written stories are the raw materials for building this knowledge base.

The spoken word is the foundation of the conversation. But the written word bridges gaps across distance and time. The written word breaks down complexity, supports compliance, and provides the raw material for the survival and evolution of the team.

Write detailed stories when you must!