Term · Web & development
User story
A user story is a short description of a requirement written from the point of view of the person who needs it. It focuses on the need and its purpose rather than on the technical solution, and is paired with acceptance criteria that define when it is done.
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Explained
The format
"As a [role], I want to [action], so that [benefit]."
Example: "As a warehouse manager, I want to see orders that must ship today, so that I can plan picking in the morning."
Acceptance criteria
Specific conditions that must be true for the story to be complete, for example:
- orders with today's shipping date appear in the list;
- orders already shipped do not appear;
- the list can be filtered by warehouse;
- an empty list shows a clear message.
Why teams use them
- They keep attention on user value.
- They are small enough to estimate, build and test in short cycles.
- They invite conversation between business and developers about the best solution.
- Acceptance criteria give a clear basis for testing and acceptance.
Stories, epics and specifications
Large pieces of work are "epics" broken into several stories. For fixed-price projects or procurement, stories can form the core of a more formal technical specification.
See writing user stories.
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FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Who writes user stories?
Usually a product owner or business representative, refined together with developers.
How detailed should a story be?
Detailed enough to build and test; details are often added in conversation before development starts.