User stories: write, estimate and deliver them
Write user stories with acceptance criteria, estimate them in points, plan them in sprints and follow each one until it is in production.
2 min read
What a user story is
A user story describes a need from the point of view of the person who has it: “As a [role], I want [capability] so that [benefit]”. It is the promise of a conversation, not a full specification — the details come with the acceptance criteria.
The INVEST checklist
- Independent: it can be built and released on its own.
- Negotiable: the details are agreed with the team.
- Valuable: someone benefits when it is done.
- Estimable: the team understands it well enough to size it.
- Small: it fits in a sprint.
- Testable: its acceptance criteria say when it is done.
Acceptance criteria
Acceptance criteria turn a story into something testable. Write them as concrete conditions — “given, when, then” works well — and agree on them before the sprint starts, so testing checks what was promised.
User stories in DevGob
- User story and backlog item types under features and epics.
- Acceptance criteria, story points and business value on each story.
- Backlog ordering and sprint planning with capacity.
- Tasks with hours under each story.
- The deployment that takes the story to production, linked to it.
How DevGob helps
In DevGob a user story keeps its acceptance criteria, estimate, tasks and the deployment that delivers it on one connected record.
Read it in the documentationFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between a user story and a backlog item?
A user story is written from the user's point of view; a product backlog item can be any piece of work. DevGob supports both types.
How are user stories estimated?
Usually in story points, relative to each other. DevGob records points per story and velocity per team.
Who writes user stories?
The product owner owns the backlog, but stories are best written together with the team and the people who will use the feature.
Keep reading
DevOps with governance, on one record
DevGob plans the work and governs every change on its way to production: backlog, sprints, committee authorizations, install evidence and an audit trail.