Writing meaningful user stories with the INVEST principle
- User stories are the atomic unit of work in agile software development.
- The INVEST principle helps teams write high-quality, specific user stories.
- The acronym INVEST stands for Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimatable, Small, and Testable.
- Independent: User stories should be able to be worked on without dependencies on other stories.
- Negotiable: User stories should be flexible and allow for collaboration and alternative ideas.
- Valuable: User stories should provide value to the user or customer.
- Estimatable: User stories should be able to be estimated and assigned a size.
- Small: User stories should be small enough to be completed within a sprint.
- Testable: User stories should have clear acceptance criteria and be testable.
- Applying the INVEST principle in scrum helps with backlog refinement and sprint planning.
- The INVEST principle aligns with the Three C's of conversation and confirmation.
- Teams should focus on understanding the attributes of user stories, such as the target user, goals, and completion criteria.
- The INVEST principle can be applied to any team, not just those practicing scrum.