write-user-stories

Overview

Based on User Story Mapping by Jeff Patton. Stories aren't just tickets - they tell a narrative. A story map has two dimensions: the user's journey across the top (the backbone), and depth below each step showing increasing detail. Releases are horizontal slices through the map, not vertical feature silos.

Workflow

Step 1: Build the Narrative Spine

Before writing individual stories, map the user's journey end-to-end. List the high-level activities in sequence - this is the backbone.

Example backbone for a checkout flow: Browse -> Select -> Review Cart -> Enter Details -> Pay -> Confirm

Step 2: Identify the Walking Skeleton

The walking skeleton is the thinnest possible slice that completes the full journey. It's not an MVP of features - it's an MVP of the flow. Every step in the backbone needs at least one story.

Step 3: Write story headlines

Format: As a [user type], I want [goal], so that [benefit].

The "so that" clause is non-negotiable. If you can't write it, the story may not be worth building.