epic-breakdown-advisor

Purpose

Guide product managers through breaking down epics into user stories using Richard Lawrence's complete Humanizing Work methodology—a systematic, flowchart-driven approach that applies 9 splitting patterns sequentially. Use this to identify which pattern applies, split while preserving user value, and evaluate splits based on what they reveal about low-value work you can eliminate. This ensures vertical slicing (end-to-end value) rather than horizontal slicing (technical layers).

This is not arbitrary slicing—it's a proven, methodical process that starts with validation, walks through patterns in order, and evaluates results strategically.

Key Concepts

Core Principles: Vertical Slices Preserve Value

A user story is "a description of a change in system behavior from the perspective of a user." Splitting must maintain vertical slices—work that touches multiple architectural layers and delivers observable user value—not horizontal slices addressing single components (e.g., "front-end story" + "back-end story").

The Three-Step Process

1. Pre-Split Validation: Check if story satisfies INVEST criteria (except "Small")
2. Apply Splitting Patterns: Work through 9 patterns sequentially until one fits
3. Evaluate Splits: Choose the split that reveals low-value work or produces equal-sized stories

The 9 Splitting Patterns (In Order)

1. Workflow Steps — Thin end-to-end slices, not step-by-step
2. Operations (CRUD) — Create, Read, Update, Delete as separate stories
3. Business Rule Variations — Different rules = different stories
4. Data Variations — Different data types/structures
5. Data Entry Methods — Simple UI first, fancy UI later
6. Major Effort — "Implement one + add remaining"
7. Simple/Complex — Core simplest version first, variations later
8. Defer Performance — "Make it work" before "make it fast"
9. Break Out a Spike — Time-box investigation when uncertainty blocks splitting

Meta-Pattern (Applies Across All Patterns)

1. Identify the core complexity
2. List all variations
3. Reduce variations to one complete slice
4. Make other variations separate stories

Why This Works

• Prevents arbitrary splitting: Methodical checklist prevents guessing
• Preserves user value: Every story delivers observable value
• Reveals waste: Good splits expose low-value work you can deprioritize
• Repeatable: Apply to any epic consistently

Facilitation Source of Truth

Use [workshop-facilitation](../workshop-facilitation/SKILL.md) as the default interaction protocol for this skill.

It defines:

• session heads-up + entry mode (Guided, Context dump, Best guess)
• one-question turns with plain-language prompts
• progress labels (for example, Context Qx/8 and Scoring Qx/5)
• interruption handling and pause/resume behavior
• numbered recommendations at decision points
• quick-select numbered response options for regular questions (include Other (specify) when useful)

This file defines the domain-specific assessment content. If there is a conflict, follow this file's domain logic.

Application

Step 0: Provide Epic Context

Agent asks:

Please share your epic:

• Epic title/ID
• Description or hypothesis
• Acceptance criteria (especially multiple "When/Then" pairs)
• Target persona
• Rough estimate

You can paste from Jira, Linear, or describe briefly.

Step 1: Pre-Split Validation (INVEST Check)

Before splitting, verify your story satisfies INVEST criteria (except "Small"):

Agent asks questions sequentially:

1. Independent? "Can this story be prioritized and developed without hard technical dependencies on other stories?"

Options:

• Yes — No blocking dependencies
• No — Requires other work first (flag this)

2. Negotiable? "Does this story leave room for the team to discover implementation details collaboratively, rather than prescribing exact solutions?"

Options:

• Yes — It's a conversation starter, not a spec
• No — It's too prescriptive (may need reframing)

3. Valuable? "Does this story deliver observable value to a user? (If not, combine it with related work rather than splitting.)"

Options:

• Yes — Users see/experience something different
• No — It's a technical task (not a user story—don't split, reframe)

⚠️ Critical Check: If story fails "Valuable," STOP. Don't split. Instead, combine with other work to create a meaningful increment.

4. Estimable? "Can your team size this story relatively (even if roughly)?"

Options:

• Yes — Team can estimate days/points
• No — Too much uncertainty (may need spike first)

5. Testable? "Does this story have concrete acceptance criteria that QA can verify?"

Options:

• Yes — Clear pass/fail conditions
• No — Needs clearer acceptance criteria (refine before splitting)

If story passes all checks → Proceed to Step 2 (Splitting Patterns) If story fails any check → Fix the issue before splitting

Step 2: Apply Splitting Patterns Sequentially

Work through patterns in order. For each pattern, ask "Does this apply?"

Pattern 1: Workflow Steps

Key insight: Split into thin end-to-end slices, not step-by-step. Start with a simple case covering the full workflow, then add intermediate steps as separate stories.

Agent asks: "Does your epic involve a multi-step workflow where you could deliver a simple case first, then add intermediate steps later?"

Example:

• Original: "Publish content (requires editorial review, legal approval, staging)"
• ❌ Wrong split (step-by-step): Story 1 = Editorial review, Story 2 = Legal approval, Story 3 = Publish
• ✅ Right split (thin end-to-end):
• Story 1: Publish content (simple path: author uploads, content goes live immediately—no reviews)
• Story 2: Add editorial review step (now content waits for editor approval before going live)
• Story 3: Add legal approval step (content waits for legal + editorial before going live)

Each story delivers full workflow, just with increasing sophistication.

Options:

1. Yes, multi-step workflow → "Describe the workflow steps"
2. No, single step → Continue to Pattern 2

If YES: Agent generates thin end-to-end slice splits.

Pattern 2: Operations (CRUD)

Key insight: The word "manage" signals multiple operations. Split into Create, Read, Update, Delete.

Agent asks: "Does your epic use words like 'manage,' 'handle,' or 'maintain'? If so, it likely bundles multiple operations (CRUD)."

Example:

• Original: "Manage user accounts"
• Split:
• Story 1: Create user account
• Story 2: View user account details
• Story 3: Edit user account info
• Story 4: Delete user account

Options:

1. Yes, contains multiple operations → "List the operations (Create/Read/Update/Delete/etc.)"
2. No, single operation → Continue to Pattern 3

If YES: Agent generates one story per operation.

Pattern 3: Business Rule Variations

Key insight: When identical functionality operates under different rules, each rule becomes its own story.

Agent asks: "Does your epic have different business rules for different scenarios (user types, regions, tiers, conditions)?"

Example:

• Original: "Flight search with flexible dates (date range, specific weekends, date offsets)"
• Split:
• Story 1: Search by date range (+/- N days)
• Story 2: Search by specific weekends only
• Story 3: Search by date offsets (N days before/after)

Options:

1. Yes, different rules → "Describe the rule variations"
2. No, same rules for all → Continue to Pattern 4

If YES: Agent generates one story per rule variation.

Pattern 4: Data Variations

Key insight: Complexity from handling different data types or structures. Add variations just-in-time as needed.

Agent asks: "Does your epic handle different data