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Product Manager's Guidebook
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  • Guidebook
    • Welcome
    • Contribute
    • Donate
  • Prelude
    • A Note From The Author
    • How To Use This Guide
  • Introduction
    • Overview
    • What is a Product Manager?
      • Roles and Responsibilities of a Product Manager
      • The Product Mindset
      • Understanding the Product Management Lifecycle
      • Different Types of Product Managers
    • Product Team Structures
      • Stakeholders, Leadership, and the Company
      • Cross-Functional Product Team
      • Differences between Project, Program, and Product Management
  • People Skills
    • Overview
    • Communication
      • Knowing Your Audience
      • Elements of Persuasion and Motivation
      • The Art of Storytelling
      • Effective Meeting Management
      • Delivering Presentations and Demos
    • Building Relationships
      • Collaboration Cadence and Tools
      • Team Agreements and Purpose
      • Understanding Business Problems
      • Managing Expectations
      • Communicating Progress
    • Leadership
      • Cross-Functional Leadership
      • Applied Motivation and Getting Buy-In
      • Giving and Receiving Feedback
      • Aligning Product Mission, Vision, and Strategy
      • Sharing Impact and Outcomes
  • Process Skills
    • Overview
    • Strategy
      • Objective Setting
      • Prioritization
      • Roadmapping
    • Discovery
      • Problem Research and Definition
      • Customer Discovery and Research
      • Solution Design and Validation
    • Development
      • Writing and Using Product Requirements
      • Concepts through Designing
      • Working with Designers
      • Development Execution and Methodologies
      • Working with Engineers
      • Scoping and Writing User Stories
      • Technical Debt Management
    • Delivery
      • Roll-out and Release Management
      • Assessing Assumptions, Risk, and Issues
      • Measuring Product Launch Success
      • Marketing and Communications
      • User Activation
    • Optimization
      • Iterative Development and Learning
      • Streamlining Processes and Experiences
  • Knowledge Skills
    • Overview
    • Understanding the Customer
      • Customer Segmentation and Targeting
      • User Research Methods
      • Understanding Customer Pain Points
      • User Personas Development
      • User Behavior and Psychology
      • Acquiring and Retaining Customers
    • Data-Driven Decisions
      • The Role of Data in Product
      • Data Analysis and Interpretation
      • Identifying and Understanding Assumptions
      • Formulating Your Hypotheses
      • Selecting a Hypothesis for Testing
      • Navigating Signal Metrics to Define KPIs for Hypothesis Testing
      • Testing Your Hypothesis
      • Upholding Data Privacy and Ethics
    • Domain Knowledge
      • Competitive Analysis and Industry
      • Achieving Product-Market Fit
      • Technology and Innovation
      • Aligning with the Company
    • Business Understanding
      • Organizational Values, Objectives, and Priorities
      • Long-Term Planning
      • Business Model Fit
      • Monetization Strategy
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  • Pain Points
  • Practical Exercise
  • Related Research Topics
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  1. Process Skills
  2. Development

Scoping and Writing User Stories

PreviousWorking with EngineersNextTechnical Debt Management

Last updated 1 month ago

Scoping and writing user stories is a critical part of the Agile development process. User stories are simple, clear, brief descriptions of functionality told from the perspective of a user. They are designed to create a simplified description of a requirement. The format of a user story is typically: "As a [type of user], I want [an action] so that [a benefit/a value]". User stories help to focus on the user's needs and to streamline the development process by breaking down complex tasks into manageable units of work.

While User Stories are the most popular, they’re not the only method. There are closely related alternatives to User Stories called Job Stories, that refocus on what’s the job of situation, motivation, and expected outcome to focus on context and the underlying motivation. There’s also completely different approaches that lean into the criteria for acceptance and the functionality required around it, with a short context description. There is no right and wrong but instead what works best for a given team.

Example

Let's continue with the professional networking example. After the PRD and designs for the "Enhanced Job Filtering" feature have been finalized, the Product Manager now needs to guide the development of this feature. The team uses the Agile methodology, which includes the use of user stories to define the tasks that need to be completed.

The Product Manager, in collaboration with the Product Designer and input from the Engineering Manager, begins to write user stories for the "Enhanced Job Filtering" feature. For instance, one of the user stories could be: "As a job seeker, I want to filter job postings by location so that I can find jobs near me". Another user story might be: "As a job seeker, I want to filter job postings at companies with mutual connections so that I can find opportunities with people I already know".

These user stories help to define the scope of the feature and provide a clear understanding of what needs to be developed from the user's perspective. They also help to prioritize the development tasks and to ensure that the feature meets the user's needs and expectations.

It’s at this point, there’s a hand-off from the Product Manager, who manages the product and feature direction, and the Engineering Manager (EM), who manages the engineers and their engineering tasks. The EM would go on to write out the engineering tasks related to each story, which are commonly sub-tasks of the Story, clarifying any confusion with the Product Manager and Product Designer.

Pain Points

Writing user stories can be challenging as it requires a clear understanding of the user's needs and the functionality of the feature. It's also important to ensure that the user stories are concise, specific, and focused on the user's perspective. Furthermore, managing and prioritizing user stories can be a challenge, especially in a large project with multiple features and functionalities.

Practical Exercise

Think of a feature or product you want to develop. Try writing user stories for it, outlining the user's needs and the functionality of the feature. Share it with a colleague or friend and ask for their feedback. How well do your user stories communicate the user's needs and the functionality of the feature?

Related Research Topics

  • Agile development process [ | ]

  • Epic in Agile [ | ]

  • Writing User Stories [ | ]

  • Job Stories vs User Stories [ | ]

  • Alternatives to User Stories [ | ]

  • Engineering Tasks [ | ]

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