story-mapping
Installation
SKILL.md
User Story Mapping Expert
Overview
Visualize the user journey and translate strategy into prioritized, deliverable work using Jeff Patton's user story mapping technique. Story maps shift teams from feature-first thinking to flow-first thinking -- understanding the complete user experience before deciding what to build and in what order.
A story map is a 2D grid: the backbone (activities → steps) runs left-to-right in the order users experience the journey, the body (tasks) hangs below each step ranked top-to-bottom by priority, and a horizontal MVP line separates Release 1 from later. See the playbook reference for full anatomy and the 6-step build sequence.
When to Use
- MVP definition -- Draw a clear line between "must ship" and "can wait."
- Release planning -- Sequence work across multiple releases or sprints.
- Cross-team alignment -- Give multiple teams a shared understanding of the user journey.
- Backlog reorganization -- Restore context and priority to a flat backlog.
- New product kickoff -- Decompose a vision into work from scratch.