The Art of Story Splitting: How to Break Down User Stories

Introduction

User stories are a key part of the agile development process, as they help to capture the requirements for new features and guide the creation of working software. A user story typically follows a simple template: “As a [user], I want [feature] so that [benefit].” User stories are meant to be small and focused, typically taking no more than a few days to complete.

However, sometimes a user story may be too large or complex to be completed in a single sprint. In these cases, breaking down the user story into smaller, more manageable pieces may be necessary. This process is known as story splitting.

There are several reasons why we might split user stories:

To make the user story more manageable and easier to understand. Large, complex user stories can be difficult to wrap your head around, especially if you’re new to the project. Splitting a user story into smaller pieces can help to make it more manageable and easier to understand.

To better prioritize and plan the work. By breaking down user stories into smaller pieces, it’s easier to prioritize and plan the work. You can focus on completing the most important pieces first, and then move on to the less important ones later.

To reduce risk and uncertainty. Large, complex user stories can be risky and uncertain. By breaking them down into smaller pieces, you can reduce the risk and uncertainty by focusing on one piece at a time.

To facilitate collaboration and communication. Splitting user stories into smaller pieces can also facilitate collaboration and communication within the team. It’s easier to collaborate on smaller pieces, and it’s also easier to communicate progress and progress updates.

Overall, story splitting can be an effective way to make user stories more manageable, prioritize and plan work, reduce risk and uncertainty, and facilitate collaboration and communication within the team.

Why do we split user stories?

In addition to making user stories more manageable and easier to understand, there are several other benefits to story splitting:

· Improved quality: By breaking down user stories into smaller pieces, you can focus on one piece at a time and ensure that it is of high quality. This can help to reduce defects and improve the overall quality of the product.

· Increased agility: Splitting user stories allows you to be more agile and responsive to change. If you need to make changes to a user story mid-sprint, it’s easier to do so if the user story is small and focused.

· Better estimation: It’s often easier to estimate the size of a small, focused user story than it is to estimate a large, complex one. By splitting user stories, you can get a better sense of how long it will take to complete each piece, which can help with planning and scheduling.

There are a few key indicators that a user story may be a good candidate for splitting:

· The user story is too large: If a user story is estimated to take more than a few days to complete, it may be a good candidate for splitting.

· The user story is too complex: If a user story is complex and has a lot of moving parts, it may be a good candidate for splitting.

· The user story has a high risk of uncertainty: If a user story is risky or uncertain, it may be a good candidate for splitting. This can help to reduce the risk and uncertainty by focusing on one piece at a time.

Overall, story splitting can be an effective way to improve the quality, agility, and estimation of user stories. If a user story is too large, complex, or risky, it may be a good candidate for splitting.

Techniques for story splitting

There are a few different techniques that you can use to split user stories:

1. Vertical slicing: Vertical slicing involves breaking down a user story into smaller pieces representing different layers of the system. For example, you might slice a user story vertically by separating the user interface from the business logic from the data layer. This can be a good approach if you need to focus on one layer at a time.

2. Horizontal slicing: Horizontal slicing involves breaking down a user story into smaller pieces representing different functionality within the system. For example, you might slice a user story horizontally by separating the login functionality from the search functionality from the checkout functionality. This can be a good approach if you need to focus on one specific aspect of the system at a time.

3. Splitting by functionality: Another approach is to split user stories by functionality. This involves breaking down a user story into smaller pieces representing different functionalities or features within the system. For example, you might split a user story into smaller pieces that represent different features such as a login feature, a search feature, and a checkout feature.

4. Splitting by user role: Another approach is to split user stories by user role. This involves breaking down a user story into smaller pieces representing different user roles within the system. For example, you might split a user story into smaller pieces that represent different user roles such as an administrator, a customer, and a vendor.

Overall, there are a number of different techniques that you can use to split user stories. The best approach will depend on the specific needs and goals of your project.

Best practices for story splitting

Here are a few best practices to keep in mind when splitting user stories:

1. Start with small user stories: It’s generally a good idea to start with small user stories, as this can help to ensure that they are manageable and easy to understand. Small user stories are also easier to estimate and can be completed in a shorter amount of time, which can help to keep the project on track.

2. Use planning poker to estimate size: Planning poker is a technique that can be used to estimate the size of user stories. It involves having the development team assign points to each user story based on its complexity and effort. This can be a useful tool for determining the size of user stories and ensuring that they are small enough to be completed in one to two sprints.

3. Involve the right stakeholders: It’s important to involve the right stakeholders in the story-splitting process to ensure that the user stories accurately reflect the needs and expectations of the users. This may include business analysts, product owners, developers, and other stakeholders who have a vested interest in the project.

4. Keep the goal in mind: When splitting user stories, it’s important to keep the goal in mind and ensure that each piece is still relevant and valuable to the users. This can help to ensure that the user stories are focused and effective in guiding the development process.

Overall, following these best practices can help to ensure that your user stories are focused, relevant, and valuable to the users. This can help to ensure that the software being developed meets the needs and expectations of the users and is successful in the market.

Conclusion

In summary, story splitting is the process of breaking down user stories into smaller, more manageable pieces. There are several benefits to story splitting, including improved quality, increased agility, and better estimation. There are a few different techniques that you can use to split user stories, including vertical slicing, horizontal slicing, splitting by functionality, and splitting by user role. To get the most out of story splitting, it’s essential to follow a few best practices, such as starting with small user stories, using planning poker to estimate size, involving the right stakeholders, and keeping the goal in mind.

Story splitting is an important part of the agile development process, as it helps to ensure that user stories are focused, relevant, and valuable to the users. By following these tips and best practices, you can ensure that your user stories are effective in guiding the development process and helping to build software that meets the needs and expectations of the users.