The User Story Process
In Agile, there are steps that a user story must go through before it becomes a part of the product. Each of these steps has a distinct goal. While the developer role may not be the driving force, it does help to have developers present in the process. This process starts with the inputs into the user stories, then the approval and prioritization of the user stories, the user story estimation, and finally the commitment to develop the user stories.
Input
The first step of user story creation is input. This consists of getting information from stakeholders on what they want in a software product. There are numerous different methods to obtain input, and methods of obtaining this information vary across different organizations. Some teams prefer for the product owner to meet with the stakeholders, in order to observe the stakeholders workflow. Other teams may issue surveys, to ask specific questions of stakeholders.
Developers are less important during the input phase, but can still offer value in this part of the process. Since the input is still very early in the process, not everything that stakeholders ask for will be included in the product. As such, developers should not jump right into planning and research, since they may be wasting time on features that are omitted. Instead, developers can offer more technical ways to acquire input. From digital surveys to automatic response sorting, developers are typically more tech-savvy than other roles on a Scrum team. This equips them to contribute to the type of input that the team pursues. The gathered input can then be in a more desirable format for the development team.
Recommended Further Reading
The following materials may assist you in order to get the most out of this course: