During the one-to-one engagement sessions with stakeholders we have been offering support for stakeholders on how they can gather user stories from their user base. User stories are a tool used in agile project methodology to capture product requirements to ensure we are building a service which meets users’ needs. These short, simple descriptions help shift the focus from purely technical and functional views, to the user and how they will interact with the system. User stories follow a very basic template:
As <User type/Persona>,
I want <what feature>,
so that <why the feature is needed, the benefit>.
This template focuses on providing a concise response making the benefits explicit. The key is to keep them simple and precise. We recommend writing the gathered user stories onto sticky notes ready for collaboration and grouping, which allows them to be reviewed for consistency and key themes.
Once gathered, the information supplied in the user stories is translated by the technical teams into technical or product requirements; mapping them to either existing requirements or adding them as new. Where a new requirement has been raised these are transferred to the online tool that we use for tracking the flow of information and collaborative planning. The agreed requirements are then organised into ‘sprints’ (a period in which specific development work is completed) in readiness for the development work of the specific feature to begin.
We have created an Agile User Story support pack offering further advice and support. Select here to access it.
For more information about the Learning Solution visit www.hee.nhs.uk/tel and follow us on Twitter: @HEE_TEL or email tel@hee.nhs.uk.