agile-product-owner

Agile Product Owner

Backlog management and sprint execution toolkit for product owners, including user story generation, acceptance criteria patterns, sprint planning, and velocity tracking.

Table of Contents

• [User Story Generation Workflow](#user-story-generation-workflow)
• [Acceptance Criteria Patterns](#acceptance-criteria-patterns)
• [Epic Breakdown Workflow](#epic-breakdown-workflow)
• [Sprint Planning Workflow](#sprint-planning-workflow)
• [Backlog Prioritization](#backlog-prioritization)
• [Reference Documentation](#reference-documentation)
• [Tools](#tools)

User Story Generation Workflow

Create INVEST-compliant user stories from requirements:

1. Identify the persona (who benefits from this feature)
2. Define the action or capability needed
3. Articulate the benefit or value delivered
4. Write acceptance criteria using Given-When-Then
5. Estimate story points using Fibonacci scale
6. Validate against INVEST criteria
7. Add to backlog with priority
8. Validation: Story passes all INVEST criteria; acceptance criteria are testable

User Story Template

As a [persona],
I want to [action/capability],
So that [benefit/value].

Example:

As a marketing manager,
I want to export campaign reports to PDF,
So that I can share results with stakeholders who don't have system access.

Story Types

| Type | Template | Example | |------|----------|---------| | Feature | As a [persona], I want to [action] so that [benefit] | As a user, I want to filter search results so that I find items faster | | Improvement | As a [persona], I need [capability] to [goal] | As a user, I need faster page loads to complete tasks without frustration | | Bug Fix | As a [persona], I expect [behavior] when [condition] | As a user, I expect my cart to persist when I refresh the page | | Enabler | As a developer, I need to [technical task] to enable [capability] | As a developer, I need to implement caching to enable instant search |

Persona Reference

| Persona | Typical Needs | Context | |---------|--------------|---------| | End User | Efficiency, simplicity, reliability | Daily feature usage | | Administrator | Control, visibility, security | System management | | Power User | Automation, customization, shortcuts | Expert workflows | | New User | Guidance, learning, safety | Onboarding |

Acceptance Criteria Patterns

Write testable acceptance criteria using Given-When-Then format.

Given-When-Then Template

Given [precondition/context],
When [action/trigger],
Then [expected outcome].

Examples:

Given the user is logged in with valid credentials,
When they click the "Export" button,
Then a PDF download starts within 2 seconds.

Given the user has entered an invalid email format,
When they submit the registration form,
Then an inline error message displays "Please enter a valid email address."

Given the shopping cart contains items,
When the user refreshes the browser,
Then the cart contents remain unchanged.

Acceptance Criteria Checklist

Each story should include criteria for:

| Category | Example | |----------|---------| | Happy Path | Given valid input, When submitted, Then success message displayed | | Validation | Should reject input when required field is empty | | Error Handling | Must show user-friendly message when API fails | | Performance | Should complete operation within 2 seconds | | Accessibility | Must be navigable via keyboard only |

Minimum Criteria by Story Size

| Story Points | Minimum AC Count | |--------------|------------------| | 1-2 | 3-4 criteria | | 3-5 | 4-6 criteria | | 8 | 5-8 criteria | | 13+ | Split the story |

See references/user-story-templates.md for complete template library.

Epic Breakdown Workflow

Break epics into deliverable sprint-sized stories:

1. Define epic scope and success criteria
2. Identify all personas affected by the epic
3. List all capabilities needed for each persona
4. Group capabilities into logical stories
5. Validate each story is ≤8 points
6. Identify dependencies between stories
7. Sequence stories for incremental delivery
8. Validation: Each story delivers standalone value; total stories cover epic scope

Story Splitting Decision Logic

Apply these rules in order. Use the first rule that fits the story:

| # | Split Rule | When It Applies | How to Split | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | Workflow Steps | Story contains multiple sequential steps | Each step becomes its own story | | 2 | Business Rule Variations | Story introduces rule variations (e.g., pricing tiers, user roles) | Each rule variation becomes its own story | | 3 | Data Variations | Story handles different data types or formats | Each data type becomes its own story | | 4 | Complex Acceptance Criteria | Story has 8+ acceptance criteria covering distinct behaviors | Each distinct behavior cluster becomes its own story | | 5 | Major Effort | Story requires significant build effort (13+ points) | Split along effort milestones (foundation → feature → polish) | | 6 | External Dependencies | Story depends on external APIs, teams, or approvals | Split dependent and independent work into separate stories | | 7 | DevOps Effort | Story requires significant infrastructure work | Split infrastructure setup from feature implementation | | 8 | None Apply | Story is already small but unclear | Use Tiny Acts of Discovery (TADs) -- small spikes to reduce uncertainty |

Split Output Format

For each split, document:

## Original Story
As a [persona], I want to [action] so that [benefit].
Points: 13 | Status: Too large for sprint

## Suggested Splits

### Split 1: By Workflow Steps
- **Story A:** As a [persona], I want to [step 1] so that [partial benefit].
  Points: 5 | Independently valuable: Yes
- **Story B:** As a [persona], I want to [step 2] so that [remaining benefit].
  Points: 5 | Independently valuable: Yes

### Risks & Tradeoffs
- [What coupling exists between the split stories]
- [What is lost by delivering them separately]

### Implementation Order
1. Story A (foundation) → 2. Story B (builds on A)

Splitting Techniques (Quick Reference)

| Technique | When to Use | Example | |-----------|-------------|---------| | By workflow step | Linear process | "Checkout" → "Add to cart" + "Enter payment" + "Confirm order" | | By persona | Multiple user types | "Dashboard" → "Admin dashboard" + "User dashboard" | | By data type | Multiple inputs | "Import" → "Import CSV" + "Import Excel" | | By operation | CRUD functionality | "Manage users" → "Create" + "Edit" + "Delete" | | By business rule | Rule variations | "Discount" → "% discount" + "Fixed discount" + "BOGO" | | Happy path first | Risk reduction | "Feature" → "Basic flow" + "Error handling" + "Edge cases" | | By dependency | External blockers | "Integration" → "Mock integration" + "Live integration" | | Tiny Acts of Discovery | High uncertainty | "AI feature" → "Spike: feasibility" + "MVP implementation" |

Epic Example

Epic: User Dashboard

Breakdown:

Epic: User Dashboard (34 points total)
├── US-001: View key metrics (5 pts) - End User
├── US-002: Customize layout (5 pts) - Power User
├── US-003: Export data to CSV (3 pts) - End User
├── US-004: Share with team (5 pts) - End User
├── US-005: Set up alerts (5 pts) - Power User
├── US-006: Filter by date range (3 pts) - End User
├── US-007: Admin overview (5 pts) - Admin
└── US-008: Enable caching (3 pts) - Enabler

Sprint Planning Workflow

Plan sprint capacity and select stories:

1. Calculate team capacity (velocity × availability)
2. Review sprint goal with stakeholders
3. Select stories from prioritized backlog
4. Fill to 80-85% of capacity (committed)
5. Add stretch goals (10-15% additional)
6. Identify dependencies and risks
7. Break complex stories into tasks
8. Validation: Committed points ≤85% capacity; all stories have acceptance criteria

Cap