from unclear and unrealistic requirements to achievable user stories
TRANSCRIPT
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.
5/30/16
1
FROMUNCLEARANDUNREALISTICREQUIREMENTSTOACHIEVABLEUSERSTORIES
JamieLynnCookeCSM,CSPOBothHemispheres,LLCe-Builder
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide2
"Whatdoyouwantthesystemtodo?"
§ Loadedquestion….§ Widevarietyofpossiblesolutionstoaddressbusinessneeds
§ Responsescanbeanythingfromfuzzy,highlevelrequirementstoextremelydetailedtechnicalfeatures
§ Heavilydependsonwhoisansweringthequestion
5/30/16
2
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide3
Inanidealworld,theProductOwner:
§ Intimatelyunderstandsthebusinessrequirements
§ Accuratelyrepresentstheperspectivesandprioritiesofallstakeholders
§ Isabletoarticulaterequirementsasrealisticbusiness-drivencapabilities
§ Establishesclearprioritiesandunderstandsthatnoteveryfeatureismission-critical
§ Isopentoteamfeedbackandadjustments§ UnderstandsandvaluesAgilethinking
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide4
Inreality,ProductOwnersvaryintheir:
§ Scopeofknowledge§ Depthofknowledge§ Pointsofreference§ ExperiencewithAgilemethods§ Technicalexpertise§ Flexibility§ Decisiveness§ Empowermentandauthority§ (Availability)
5/30/16
3
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide5
FourcommonProductOwnerchallenges:
1. The“bigpicture”productowner2. The“aspiringdeveloper”productowner3. The“kidinacandystore”productowner4. The“seesaw”productowner
Whichisyourmostcommonchallenge?
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide6
The“BigPicture”ProductOwner:
§ Epicthinking§ Highleveldescriptionsofrequirements§ Unabletodescribe(ordecideon)specificsystembehavior
§ Maybelimitedby:ú Perspectiveú Depthofknowledgeú Fearofbeingresponsiblefordecisionsú ….
5/30/16
4
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide7
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
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide8
BreakingDowntheRequirements:FirstTechnique:Askforthestory
§ Tellmeaboutthe“bestcase”….ú Atypicalcustomerorderingexperienceú Howthewarehousefillsordersú Acceptableformsofpaymentú ….
§ Tellmeabouttheexceptions….ú Unusualcustomerordersú Whatyoudowhenitemsareoutofstockú Handlingreturnsandreplacementitemsú ….
5/30/16
5
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide9
BreakingDowntheRequirements:FirstTechnique:Askforthestory
§ Forcespracticalthinkingandtangibleoutcomes§ Solidifiesexpectations§ Givesincidentaldetails§ Exposesknowledgegaps§ Establishespriorities§ Describesacceptablealternativeoptions
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide10
BreakingDowntheRequirements:SecondTechnique:Askleadingquestions
§ Cancustomersplacesamedayorders?Whatisthecutofftimefororders?
§ Isthereaminimumorderamount?§ Isthereatimelimitforchangingorcancellingorders?§ Howisrealtimeproductandinventoryinformation
maintained?§ Doesthewarehouseneedspecialpackingmaterials?§ Aredeliveryvansequippedwithrefrigeratedstorage?§ Whatdoyoudowhen….
5/30/16
6
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide11
BreakingDowntheRequirements:SecondTechnique:Askleadingquestions
§ ChallengestheProductOwner’sperspective§ EngagestheProductOwnerinfindingsolutions§ Forcespracticalthinkingandtangibleoutcomes§ Distinguishesexpectedsystembehaviorfrom
exceptioncases§ Solidifiesexpectations§ Givesincidentaldetails§ Exposesknowledgegaps§ Describesacceptablealternativeoptions
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide12
BreakingDowntheRequirements:ThirdTechnique:Detailtheacceptancecriteria
§ Getmeasurabledefinitionsofsuccessfor:ú Thecustomer
Selectingitemstoorder Placingtheorder Schedulingdelivery Payingfortheorder
ú Thewarehouse Fillingtheorder Packingtheorder Handlingdamagedoroutofstockitems
ú Thedeliverydriver Gettingtothecustomerlocation
Findingtheorderonthetruck
Confirmingtheorderwiththecustomer
Handlingreturns,damageditems,missingitems
5/30/16
7
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide13
BreakingDowntheRequirements:ThirdTechnique:Detailtheacceptancecriteria
§ Quantifiestheexpectations§ Forcesrealisticthinking§ Providesboundaries§ Establishespriorities§ Givesincidentaldetails§ Identifiesacceptablealternatives
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide14
BreakingDowntheRequirements:FourthTechnique:Splitthestory
Foreachstory,usetheseapproachestoelicitthedetails:§ Gothroughworkflowstepsbyrole§ Identifyexceptionsandvariationsin
• Usertypes• Businessrules
• Datatypes• Platforms
§ Devolvecompoundstatements§ Clarifyambiguoustermslike“manage”or
“process”
5/30/16
8
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide15
BreakingDowntheRequirements:FourthTechnique:Splitthestory
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/
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide16
BreakingDowntheRequirements:FourthTechnique:Splitthestory
§ Forcesdetailedthinking§ Isolatesindividualrequirements§ Identifiescommonalitiesandtrends§ Highlightsdifferences§ Establishesrelativepriorities§ Givesincidentaldetails§ Identifiesacceptablealternatives
5/30/16
9
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide17
The“AspiringDeveloper”ProductOwner:
§ Technicalviewofthesolution§ Highlydetailedsystembehavior§ Minimalreferencetobusinessrequirements§ Maybelimitedby:
ú Perspectiveú Scopeanddepthofknowledgeú Previousprojectchallengesú ….
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide18
Example:GroceryHomeDeliveryService
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
5/30/16
10
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide19
Example:GroceryHomeDeliveryService
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
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide20
MovingfromTechnicaltoBusinessRequirements:
Eliminatingtheobviousquestion:
Whatiftheproductdoesnothavefrontendusers,e.g.systemsintegration,andtechnicalstoriesarerequired?
SeeMikeCohn’sresponse:https://www.mountaingoatsoftware.com/blog/writing-user-stories-for-back-end-systems
5/30/16
11
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide21
MovingfromTechnicaltoBusinessRequirements:
FirstTechnique:Buildupthestory
§ Acknowledgethevalidityofthetechnicalrequirements
§ Refocusthediscussiononthebusinessstoryú Tryaskingforthe“bestcase”andexceptionscenarios
(iftheProductOwnercaneasilyswitchperspectives)ú Ifnot,workupwardfromthestoriesprovided,e.g.You
saidthatyouwantcustomerstobeabletoordergroceriesthroughabrowser: Whatwilltheyseewhentheyenterthewebsite? Howwilltheychoosetheproductstheywant? Whathappenswhentheyselect[PlaceOrder]?
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide22
MovingfromTechnicaltoBusinessRequirements:
FirstTechnique:Buildupthestory
§ WorksfromtheProductOwner’spointofreference§ Forcesenduserthinking§ Putstechnicalrequirementsincontext§ Solidifiesexpectations§ Givesincidentaldetails§ Exposesknowledgegaps§ Establishespriorities§ Describesacceptablealternativeoptions
5/30/16
12
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide23
MovingfromTechnicaltoBusinessRequirements:
SecondTechnique:LeverageExistingSystems
§ Walkthroughsimilarsolutionsfromtheenduserperspective:ú Whatfeaturesdotheylike?ú Whatfeaturesareessential,“nicetohave”and
unnecessary?ú Whatwouldtheyimprove?
§ Compareandcontrastmultiplesolutions§ Incorporatetechnicalrequirementsinthestorywhere
relevant
Thistechniquecanalsobeusedtosolidifythinkingforthe“BigPicture”ProductOwner
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide24
MovingfromTechnicaltoBusinessRequirements:
SecondTechnique:LeverageExistingSystems
5/30/16
13
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide25
MovingfromTechnicaltoBusinessRequirements:
SecondTechnique:LeverageExistingSystems
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide26
MovingfromTechnicaltoBusinessRequirements:
SecondTechnique:LeverageExistingSystems
§ Alignswithtechnicalperspective§ Forcesenduserthinking§ Solidifiesexpectations§ Givesincidentaldetails§ Identifiespriorities§ Describesacceptablealternativeoptions
5/30/16
14
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide27
MovingfromTechnicaltoBusinessRequirements:
ThirdTechnique:AskforSubjectMatterExpertConsultation
§ Caveat:Treadlightly§ DesireistosupplementProductOwner
knowledgenottoreplaceorundermineit§ Requestspecificknowledgeareas:
ú Customerserviceú Warehouseú Storemanagementú Endusers
§ DefertoProductOwnerfordecisions
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide28
MovingfromTechnicaltoBusinessRequirements:
ThirdTechnique:AskforSubjectMatterExpertConsultation
§ Forcesenduserthinking§ Putstechnicalrequirementsincontext§ Solidifiesexpectations§ Givesincidentaldetails§ Establishespriorities§ Describesacceptablealternativeoptions§ RetainsProductOwnerauthority
5/30/16
15
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide29
The“KidinaCandyStore”ProductOwner
§ Everythingiscriticalpriority§ Waterfallthinking§ Limitedunderstandingofrelativebusinessvalue§ Noincentivetoprioritize§ Maybelimitedby:
ú Perspectiveú Scopeanddepthofknowledgeú Fearofmakingdecisionsú Fearoffailureú ….
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide30
Example:GroceryHomeDeliveryService
Xxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx
xx xxxx xxx xxxxx
xx xxxx xxxx xxxx
xxx xxxx xxxxx xxx
xxxxx.
Priority: Critical
Xxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx
xx xxxx xxx xxxxx
xx xxxx xxxx xxxx
xxx xxxx xxxxx xxx
xxxxx.
Priority: Critical
Xxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx
xx xxxx xxx xxxxx
xx xxxx xxxx xxxx
xxx xxxx xxxxx xxx
xxxxx.
Priority: Critical
Xxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx
xx xxxx xxx xxxxx
xx xxxx xxxx xxxx
xxx xxxx xxxxx xxx
xxxxx.
Priority: Critical
Xxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx
xx xxxx xxx xxxxx
xx xxxx xxxx xxxx
xxx xxxx xxxxx xxx
xxxxx.
Priority: Critical
Xxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx
xx xxxx xxx xxxxx
xx xxxx xxxx xxxx
xxx xxxx xxxxx xxx
xxxxx.
Priority: Critical
5/30/16
16
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide31
The“SeeSaw”ProductOwner
§ Cannotmake(orstickto)decisionsonpriorities§ Anotherexampleofwaterfallthinking§ Limitedbusinessknowledge(orunderstanding
ofrelativebusinessvalue)§ Noincentivetoprioritize§ Maybelimitedby:
ú Fearofmakingdecisionsú Fearoffailureú Perspectiveú Scopeanddepthofknowledgeú ….
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide32
Example:GroceryHomeDeliveryService
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
5/30/16
17
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide33
GettingtoRealisticPriorities:
FirstTechnique:ReinforceAgileThinking
§ Fearoffailureinprioritysettingisoftenbasedonwaterfallthinking
§ AssureProductOwnerthat:ú PrioritysettinginanAgileenvironmentisanemergentprocess
ú Therewillbeongoingopportunitiestoreviewbuiltfeaturesandtoadjustprioritiesasneeded
ú Theycontrolthedefinitionof“done”andapprovalforrelease
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide34
GettingtoRealisticPriorities:
FirstTechnique:ReinforceAgileThinking
§ Combatsthe“oncechancetogetitright”mindset
§ Switchesthefocusfromprioritizationtorequirementsclarification
§ Encouragescollaboration§ Buildstrust
5/30/16
18
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide35
GettingtoRealisticPriorities:
SecondTechnique:LeveragetheMVP
§ IdentifyingtheMinimumViableProduct(MVP)assurestheProductOwnerthatallessentialfeatureswillbeincluded
§ FreestheAgileteamtoprioritizebythe:ú Amountofinvestigationandexperimentation
requiredú Highestriskú Longestleadtimeú Etc.
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide36
GettingtoRealisticPriorities:
SecondTechnique:LeveragetheMVP
§ Removesbusiness-drivenprioritizationfromtheequation
§ RemovestheProductOwner’sriskofmakingthewrongdecision
§ Switchesthefocustorequirementsclarification
§ Encouragescollaboration§ Buildstrust
5/30/16
19
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide37
GettingtoRealisticPriorities:
WhatiftheProductOwnerstillinsistsonprioritizingbybusinessvalue?
QuickAnswer:Assignabusinessvaluetoeachstoryandorderthemtopdownfromthehighestbusinessvaluestorytothelowest
Itisnotalwaysthatsimple….
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide38
GettingtoRealisticPriorities:
MaybeachievableiftheProductOwnercanquantifybusinessvaluein:§ Reductionofcost§ Reductionoftime§ Reductionofrisk§ Customer/Stakeholdersatisfaction§ Eliminationofwaste§ Reductionofcomplexity§ Improvementtoquality
5/30/16
20
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide39
GettingtoRealisticPriorities:
Wheredothesebusinessvaluequantificationscomefrom?§ Baselinemetrics?§ Empiricalevidence?§ Extensivemarketresearch?§ Speculationandeducatedguesses?Moreoftenthannot,theyarebasedontheProductOwner’sperspective
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide40
GettingtoRealisticPriorities:
AssigningbusinessvaluestouserstoriesisanespeciallycontroversialtopicintheAgileworld:§ “Businessvalueprioritizationcanonlybedoneattheepiclevel”
§ “Youshouldprioritizethehighestbusinessvaluefeaturesfirst,thenwriteuserstoriesforeach”
Theissuemaybeinfocusingtooheavilyontheword“priorities”
5/30/16
21
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide41
GettingtoRealisticPriorities:
ThirdTechnique:Remove“Priority”Language
§ Replaceemotivetermslike“criticalpriority”and“lowpriority”by:ú Requestingnumericaltop-downorderinginsteadof
prioritiesú Using“planningpoker”forbusinessvalueassignment
(extremelyeffectivewhentheProductOwnerisworkingwithotherSMEs)
§ IftheProductOwnerstillinsistsonusingpriorities,tryaskingforrelativeprioritieslike“morecritical”and“mostcritical”
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide42
GettingtoRealisticPriorities:
ThirdTechnique:Remove“Priority”Language
§ Removesthepressureofmakinglanguagebasedpriorityjudgmentcalls,e.g.whatshouldbe“critical”versus“high”
§ Doesnotdevaluethestoriesatthebottomofthebacklogbycallingthem“lowpriority”
§ Focusestheteamontheorderofdeliveryinsteadoftheterminology
5/30/16
22
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide43
GettingtoRealisticPriorities:
FourthTechnique:Selectthe“TopFive”
§ Conductaroleplayingscenario:Executivemanagementwillonlyallocateaninitialbudgetforbuildingfivestories.Theywanttoseeademonstrationofthefivestoriesfullybuiltandfullytestedtodetermineifadditionalfundingshouldbeallocated.Whichfivestorieswouldyouchooseandwhy?
Puttheselectedstoriesatthetopofthebacklogandthenrepeattheexercisewiththeremainingstories,puttingthenewlyselectedstoriesdirectlybeneaththepreviousones
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide44
GettingtoRealisticPriorities:
FourthTechnique:Selectthe“TopFive”
§ Forces:ú Criticalthinkingú Decision-makingú Justificationofselectedstories
§ Removesthechallengeoftryingtoordertheentirebacklog
§ Answeringthe“why”questioncanelicitkeydetailsandinsightsintoeachstoryselected(andnotselected)
5/30/16
23
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide45
GettingtoRealisticPriorities:
FifthTechnique:Selectthe“Bottom10%”
§ Conductaroleplayingscenario:
Executivemanagementcutstheproductbudgetby10%.Youneedtoremove10%ofthestoriesfromthebacklog.Whichstorieswouldyouchoosetocutandwhy?
Putthecutstoriesatthebottomofthebacklogandthenrepeattheexercisewiththeremainingstories,puttingthenewlycutstoriesontopofthepreviousones
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide46
GettingtoRealisticPriorities:
FifthTechnique:Selectthe“Bottom10%”
§ Minimizestheseverityofthedecision§ Forces:
ú Criticalthinkingú Justificationofeliminatedstories
§ Removesthechallengeoftryingtoordertheentirebacklog
§ Answeringthe“why”questioncanelicitkeydetailsandinsightsintoeachstoryremoved(andtheonesthatremain)
5/30/16
24
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide47
QuickPlugforMyBooks
§ AgileProductivityUnleashed:ProvenApproachesforAchievingRealProductivityGainsinAnyOrganization
§ Agile:AnExecutiveGuide:RealResultsfromITbudgets
§ EverythingYouWanttoKnowaboutAgile:HowtoGetAgileResultsinaLess-than-AgileOrganization
§ ThePoweroftheAgileBusinessAnalyst:30SurprisingWaysaBusinessAnalystCanAddValuetoYourAgileDevelopmentTeam
§ PRINCE2Agile™:AnImplementationPocketGuide(coming)
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide48
TheGoal:AchievableUserStories
Questions?
5/30/16
25
©BothHemispheresLLC2016Slide49
TheGoal:AchievableUserStoriesIfyouwanttocontactme:§ Amavailableafterthissession§ Amalsoholdingone-on-onespeakersessionsonThursday
§ Sendmeyourquestions:[email protected]
Thankyouforyourtime!