NOTES

Makes stories INVEST-able!

I - Independent

N - Negotiable

V - Valuable

E - Estimable

S - Small

T - Testable

Prepare the Story

Does the story satisfy INVEST (except for maybe "small")?

• Yes --> Is the story size 1/10 to 1/6 of your velocity?

  • Yes --> You're done!

  • No --> Split it.

• No --> Combine it with another story or reformulate it so that you have a good (if large) story.

Apply the Splitting Patterns

Workflow Steps

Does the story describe a workflow? Is so, can you split the story so you do the beginning and end of the workflow first and enhance with stories from the middle of the workflow?

Operations

Does the story include multiple operations? (For example, is it about "managing" or "configuring" something?) If so, can you split the operations into separate stories?

Business Rule Variations

Does the story have a variety of business rules? (For example, is there a domain term in the story like "flexible dates" that suggests several variations?) If so, can you split the story so you do a subset of the rules first and enhance with additional rules later?

Data Variations

Does the story do the same thing to different kinds of data? If so, can you split the story to handle one kind of data first and then enhance with other kinds later?

Interface Variations

Does the story have a complex interface? If so, is there a simple version that you could do?

Does the story get the same kind of data via multiple interfaces? If so, can you split the story to handle data from one interface first and enhance with the others later?

Simple/Complex

Does the story have a simple core that provides most of the value and/or learning? If so, could you split the story to do that simple core first and enhance it with later stories?

Defer Performance

Does the story get much of its complexity from satisfying non-functional requirements, like performance? If so, could you split the story to just make it work first and then enhance it to satisfy the non-functional requirement?

Break Out a Spike

As a last resort, ...

• Can you find a small piece you understand well enough to start? If so, write that story first, build it, and start again at the top of this process.

• Can you define the 1-3 questions most holding you back? If so, write a spike with those questions, do the minimum to answer them, and start again at the top of this process.

Evaluate the Split

Are the new stories roughly equal in size?

• Yes --> Is each story about 1⁄10 to 1⁄6 of your velocity?

  • Yes --> Do each of the stories satisfy INVEST?

    • Yes --> Are there stories you can deprioritize or delete?

      • Yes --> Is there an obvious story to start with that gets you early value, learning, mitigates risk, etc?

        • Yes --> You're done! However, you could try another pattern to see if it works better.

• No --> Try another pattern.