How do you ensure consistency and quality of user stories across different teams and projects?

An example of a user story that follows the INVEST criteria: "As a registered user, I want to be able to reset my password, so that I can regain access to my account if I forget my password. The password reset feature should be easy to find and use, and should require me to verify my identity through an email or SMS code. This user story is independent of other user stories, negotiable in terms of its implementation details, valuable to users who may forget their password, estimable in terms of its development effort, small enough to be completed within a single sprint, and testable through a verification process."

The most important part aspect of any story template is that the team reading it is able to quickly understand the purpose and context of the story. If the format of the story changes from one story to the next, it can cause confusion within the team, and there's a higher chance that the resulting product increment will fail to deliver the desired value to the customer. I would not advocate for a common template across an organization, because that feeds into a mindset where teams lack accountability for their own work. Dictating anything to the teams removes their authority to determine what works best for them, which effectively negates the purpose of agile adoption in the first place.

Die User Stories sollten über alle Teams und Projekte hinweg den gleichen Aufbau haben. Bewährt hat sich dabei folgender Aufbau: Als "Rolle" möchte ich "Funktion", um "Ziel" zu erreichen. Ein konkretes Beispiel dazu: Als Nutzer möchte ich mich ins System einloggen, um auf die zugriffsbeschränkten Inhalte zugreifen zu können. Zusätzlich braucht jede User Story Akzeptanzkriterien, die eindeutig nachvollziehbar / testbar sind. Ich persönlich habe sehr gute Erfahrungen bei der Erstellung von User Stories mit der INVEST-Methode gemacht.

Card: User stories are traditionally written on a single card, which helps maintain a consistent format. This card should contain the basic information such as WHO (user), WHAT (need), and WHY (benefit). Book: Product Backlog Building - Fábio Aguiar: This book suggests that the description of the need should always be written from the perspective of the user/client. User-Functionality Interaction: It’s important that the template considers the direct interaction between the user and the functionality, ensuring clarity and focus on the value delivered

- Standardized Templates: Use a consistent user story template (As a [user], I want [goal], so that [benefit]) across all teams. - Clear Acceptance Criteria: Define specific, measurable acceptance criteria to ensure quality and alignment on story completion. - Regular Cross-Team Reviews: Hold regular story review meetings between teams to align on expectations and standards. - User Story Writing Workshops: Conduct periodic workshops to train teams on best practices for writing effective user stories. - Centralized Backlog Management: Utilize a single tool for backlog management to ensure visibility and consistency across projects.

An example of how the 3C model can be used to create a user story - Card: "As a user, I want to be able to filter search results by price, so that I can find products that fit my budget." Conversation: The product owner and the development team discuss the details and acceptance criteria of the user story, such as the types of filters, the range of prices, and the impact on performance. Confirmation: The product owner and the development team agree on the implementation and testing of the user story, and document the acceptance criteria and the definition of done. The user story is added to the product backlog and prioritized based on its value and complexity.

Cualquier proceso para abordar las historias de usuario debe incluir una buena porción de Conversación, ojalá cara a cara, como su parte primordial. Lo importante de las historias de usuario no es que estén escritas, mucho menos en extensos documentos, sino que todas las personas comprometidas en el proceso de desarrollo entiendan lo que quieren los usuarios y además que entiendan lo mismo. Y la forma más efectiva de lograr esas dos cosas es mediante la conversación cara a cara de todos en el equipo y quienes estén a su alrededor. Los documentos deben ser apenas recordatorios de los acuerdos a los que se llegaron y de los detalles de cada historia de usuario. Son necesarios, sí, pero no deberían ser el aspecto crucial del proceso.

Everything in agile is an iterative process, not just the writing of the code. Teams should determine for themselves what their process will be. A team should meet and discuss the processes they think will work best for them to create, refine, prioritize and review work. Once there is an agreement on the process, they should run through it a few times, and then do a retrospective on it to see what's working and what isn't. Then, they adjust the process and repeat. Over time, this will produce a higher quality process that the team is use effectively, than if a process is defined by some committee that won't actually be using it.

INVEST: An acronym that helps in writing effective user stories: Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, and Testable. Conversation: Details emerge during conversations with the Product Owner, which is part of the standardized refinement process. Acceptance Criteria Using BDD – Dan North: Behavior Driven Development (BDD) is a practice that helps transform acceptance criteria into executable tests, ensuring that stories are implemented correctly.

Como product owner, reconheço a importância de criar eficiência e consistência no desenvolvimento de produtos. Um template padrão de história de usuário no Jira traz benefícios como padronização da documentação, facilitando a compreensão e colaboração da equipe. Também evita ambiguidades, economiza tempo e facilita a geração de relatórios. Isso aumenta a eficiência e qualidade do nosso processo de desenvolvimento.

Be cautious here. Tools can be helpful, but they can also become implements of tyranny. Prescribing that teams use a particular tool so that leadership can maintain visibility can lead to teams feeling like they are being scrutinized and micromanaged. Instead, take an agile approach and tell the team the problem you want to solve, i.e. "I would like to have a way to see progress daily without having to bother you to give a status update." The team should be able to select or create a tool that delivers a suitable solution, and they can even iterate on it. As a side benefit, this tool might also become a product the company offers to other companies, making it a win-win-win.

Ein gemeinsames Tool, auf das alle Teammitglieder und auch die Stakeholder Zugriff haben ist sehr wertvoll und für den Projekterfolg unerlässlich. Neben Jira hat sich auch Clickup in der Praxis für agile Softwareentwicklungsprojekte bewährt. Der Einsatz der Projektmanagementsoftware schafft vor allem Transparenz und ist somit eine der wichtigsten Arbeitsgrundlagen agiler Prozesse.

Sometimes, teams need to collaborate on work or review sessions for lots of reasons, one of which could legitimately be to reduce the burden of meetings on stakeholders attending review sessions. In that case, let the teams meet with each other and determine the best path forward. If they decide to nominate one person from each team to meet and discuss the terms, ensure that all teams are prepared to abide by whatever terms are agreed to.

Im Idealfall verfügen die Teams über einen Scrum Matser oder Agile Coach, der Ihnen kontinuierlich und proaktiv bei der Überprüfung Ihrer Prozesse hilft. Denn nur durch immer wiederkehrende Adaption können Verbesserungen vorgenommen werden. Die Qualität der User Stories könnte also dauerhaft z.B. durch einen Scrum Master überprüft und in Zusammenarbeit mit anderen Team Mitgliedern (wie dem Product Owner) verbessert bzw. hoch gehalten werden. Das sichert den Erfolg des Gesamtprojektes.

Cuando se trata de historias de usuario, uno de los aspectos a mejorar continuamente es la división de estas en historias de usuario más pequeñas que se puedan implementar completamente en un sprint, sin llegar a la pura descomposición funcional. Se trata de encontrar el mejor balance entre historias de usuario pequeñas y que entreguen valor al usuario. Todo el equipo debe colaborar en este procedimiento. Si bien es una tarea que puede liderar alguien como un Product Owner, todos en el equipo deberían tener voz y participar del proceso de refinamiento de las historias de usuario. Para ello es importante conocer nuevas formas, técnicas o patrones para hacerlo.

É fundamental reconhecer a importância de criar histórias de usuário envolventes e significativas para orientar o desenvolvimento de produtos. Uma abordagem eficaz para isso é integrar o storytelling ao método INVEST. As histórias devem ser negociáveis, podendo ser discutidas e refinadas durante o desenvolvimento. O storytelling desperta a curiosidade da equipe e estimula discussões construtivas sobre requisitos e objetivos, destaca os benefícios e impactos esperados para o usuário final, ajudando a equipe a entender sua importância e utilização.

Lo importante es garantizar el entendimiento común de cada historia. Para esto, es clave armarlas y conversarlas en equipo. Más allá de centrarse en una redacción impecable, purista…. Así esté “mal escrita” si la entendemos, es una buena Historia.

Grundlage für kontinuierliche Verbesserung ist eine offene Feedback-Kultur. Es muss den Teammitgliedern so einfach wie möglich gemacht werden, ihr Feedback (egal ob positiv oder negativ, aber immer konstruktiv) abzugeben. In der Praxis hat sich beispielsweise die Retrospektive bewährt. Dort kann jedes Team-Mitglied seine Erfahrungen und Beobachtungen teilen, sodass alle daraus lernen und den gemeinsamen Prozess weiter entwickeln können. Das ist sehr wertvoll, um als Team voran zu kommen und hohe Qualitätsstandards zu etablieren, zu erreichen und zu halten.

Development Time Measured in Days: To help with continuous improvement, track the development time of stories and adjust processes as needed. User-Centric Approach: Always look for ways to improve user story writing to ensure that the user’s perspective is being accurately represented and that communication within the team is clear. Acceptance Criteria Written Before the Team Starts Implementation: This helps identify areas for improvement before development begins, ensuring a more aligned delivery with expectations.