Concrete examples of prioritizing and estimating user stories

When conducting prioritization and estimation exercises in Agile development, it is crucial to involve a diverse group of individuals who can provide different perspectives and insights. The following are the types of people who should be present for these exercises:

• Product Owner: The Product Owner represents the voice of the customer and is responsible for defining and prioritizing the product backlog. Their involvement is crucial as they provide insights into customer needs, market trends, and business priorities.
• Development team: The development team consists of individuals responsible for delivering the product. Their expertise and understanding of technical feasibility are essential when estimating the effort required for user stories. They contribute valuable insights during prioritization discussions and provide input on dependencies and implementation considerations.
• Scrum Master: The Scrum Master facilitates the prioritization and estimation exercises, ensuring that the process is collaborative, efficient, and focused. They help the team understand the purpose of the exercises and guide discussions to reach a consensus.
• Stakeholders: Stakeholders, including business representatives, subject matter experts, and other relevant parties, should be involved in the prioritization and estimation process. Their perspectives help ensure that the product aligns with organizational goals and customer expectations.
• UX/UI designers: Involving UX/UI designers during prioritization and estimation exercises is valuable as they provide insights into the user experience and interface design. Their expertise helps in understanding the impact of user stories on usability and overall product quality.
• Domain experts: Depending on the nature of the product, domain experts with specialized knowledge or subject matter expertise may be required. Their insights contribute to more accurate estimations and informed prioritization decisions.

It is important to note that the specific individuals involved may vary based on the product and organizational context. The key is to have a cross-functional and collaborative team that represents the necessary expertise and perspectives to make informed decisions during prioritization and estimation exercises.

In the previous sections, we discussed the importance of prioritizing and estimating user stories in Agile development. Now, let’s take a look at some concrete examples of how to apply these concepts in practice.

Example 1 – online retail store

Let’s say we are working on an online retail store product. Here are some sample user stories we need to prioritize and estimate:

• As a customer, I want to be able to filter products by brand so that I can easily find the products I’m interested in
• As a customer, I want to be able to view my order history so that I can track my purchases
• As a customer, I want to be able to leave a review for a product so that I can share my feedback with other customers
• As a store owner, I want to be able to track inventory levels so that I can replenish stock when necessary

To prioritize these user stories, we can use the MoSCoW method, where we categorize them as Must Haves, Should Haves, Could Haves, or Won’t Haves. For example, filtering products by brand may be a Must Have for the online retail store, while leaving a review for a product may be a Could Have.

For estimating, we can use story points. The team can assign a point value to each story based on its complexity and the effort required to implement it. For example, the story to track inventory levels may be more complex and require more effort than the story to view order history.

Example 2 – social media platform

Let’s say we are working on a social media platform product. Here are some sample user stories we need to prioritize and estimate:

• As a user, I want to be able to share posts with my friends so that I can keep them up to date on my life
• As a user, I want to be able to search for other users so that I can connect with them
• As a user, I want to be able to set my privacy settings so that I can control who sees my posts
• As an administrator, I want to be able to monitor user activity so that I can ensure the platform is being used appropriately

To prioritize these user stories, we can use Value-based prioritization. We can assign a value to each story based on its potential impact on the users and the business. For example, the story to search for other users may have a higher value because it could increase user engagement on the platform.

For estimating, we can use ideal days. The team can estimate the number of ideal days required to implement each story. For example, the story to monitor user activity may require more ideal days than the story to share posts with friends.

Prioritizing and estimating user stories are crucial activities in Agile development products. By using techniques such as MoSCoW, Value-based prioritization, story points, and ideal days, teams can effectively prioritize and estimate user stories. The examples we discussed show how these techniques can be applied in practice. It is important to keep in mind that each product and team is unique, so it’s essential to tailor these techniques to the product’s specific needs.