Typical Template
A user story can be written using a template that has three general parts: the title, the description, and the acceptance criteria.
Title: This is just to name the user story and should be used to differentiate it from other user stories. It should be very short (typically less than 10 words).
Description: type of user, goal, and reason/benefit. Typically, this follows a similar pattern:
As a <type of user>, I want <goal> so that <reason/benefit>.
● Type of user: is defined as whoever the user is. It is anyone who interacts with the system and receives the benefit. The type of user is who the product is being built for.
● Goal: is the ‘what’ of the equation. This is whatever the type of user above wants and is the intention behind the whole project.
● Reason/benefit: is the why. It is the value that is brought and the whole reason the product is being built.
Acceptance Criteria: Writing acceptance criteria helps define further the user story so that it can be tested. Acceptance criteria make sure that the Team’s interpretation of the user story matches the product owner’s and customer’s interpretation. These often grow and change as the product develops but are needed to clearly define what ‘done’ means. Scrum Masters can help define acceptance criteria, especially at the beginning, by guiding the Team when discussions happen with the product owner.
User stories don’t have to follow this template but following it often helps create simple and clear user stories that are easy to use. They should be short and be used to encourage collaboration. It shouldn’t be complex but instead should be an assurance a conversation will happen later.
Recommended Further Reading
The following materials may assist you in order to get the most out of this course: