Story Mapping And Why It Matters In Business

Story mapping is a simple holistic approach to using stories in agile development without losing sight of the big picture. Story mapping was first introduced by Jeff Patton in 2005 and is based on the concept of user stories, or stories that communicate product requirements from the perspective of user value.

Element	Description	Implications	Examples	Applications
Definition	A visual representation of a product’s user stories, arranged in a strategic sequence.	– Provides a holistic view of the product backlog.	– Physical board with user story cards and columns.	– Agile and Scrum project planning.
User Stories	Individual descriptions of functionality or features from a user’s perspective.	– Helps prioritize development based on user needs.	“As a user, I want to log in with my social account.”	Defining product features and functionality.
Timeline	Represents the sequence of user stories, often from left to right, showing a product’s journey.	– Guides development by depicting story progression.	Stories arranged in a horizontal chronological order.	Visualizing the product development roadmap.
Sprint Planning	Helps in planning and prioritizing user stories for each sprint in Agile development.	– Enables teams to set sprint goals and objectives.	Allocating user stories for a two-week sprint.	Aligning development work with sprint cycles.
Vertical Slicing	Emphasizes delivering end-to-end functionality in smaller, valuable increments.	– Ensures that each sprint produces a shippable product increment.	Building and delivering a minimum viable product (MVP).	Incremental product development.
User-Centric	Focuses on the user’s experience and their interaction with the product.	– Prioritizes features that directly benefit users.	Mapping out user interactions with a mobile app.	Improving user satisfaction and engagement.
Visualization	Provides a visual overview of the product’s scope, helping teams understand and plan better.	– Enhances communication and collaboration among team members.	Digital Story Mapping tools with drag-and-drop features.	Enhancing team coordination and alignment.

Table of Contents

Understanding story mapping

Story mapping is an engaging and collaborative activity where everyone works toward building a product backlog on a wall.

This maintains a focus on users and what they are doing with a product, helping teams avoid becoming distracted by pointless feature arguments. Instead, stories are written that capture both user and business value.

By visually mapping out these user stories, teams are also able to:

Create an outline of product-user interactions.
Determine which steps will deliver the most benefit to the user, and
Prioritize what should be built next.

Building a story map

Story mapping is a top-down approach that breaks the product vision into actionable steps that can be prioritized.

To better understand this concept, think of the basic structure of a story map as being similar to a tree.

The production vision is represented by the trunk, while the large branches are goals. Smaller branches denote activities and leaves denote user stories.

Then, follow these steps.

Step 1 – Frame the journey

Before mapping can commence, the exercise must be framed around a common goal.

In other words, what does the product do? What problem is it trying to solve? Is there a specific user or target audience? What benefits will they (or the business) receive as a result of the product being built?

Step 2 – Build the story backbone

This describes the entire user story from start to finish. For someone booking a vacation rental, the first task may be signing up for account with the stay company.

At the end of their user story, they may write a review for the homeowner or hotel.

To help define the story backbone, relevant experts should be asked to walk through the story step-by-step.

Each member of the team should also contribute to encourage conversation around the sequence and flow of each step.

Step 3 – Identify and group activities

Activities are defined as common themes that group steps in a user story.

For the individual booking a vacation, signing up for an account may involve entering personal information and opening the confirmation email.

Step 4 – Break large tasks into subtasks

It’s important to understand that most steps are probably too big to be completed in one sprint.

Therefore, they should be broken down into smaller tasks and user stories.

Cards denoting steps in the user story should be split, rewritten, and reorganised so that subtasks do not get confused or muddled.

Step 5 – Fill in the blanks

Here, the project team must test for any missing tasks by having a different user persona walk through the entire user story.

Teams must be observant, noting where user behaviour flow differs from what is displayed on the story map.

In filling in the blanks, teams should gather as broad a range of perspectives as possible.

A UX designer will be able to offer different insights compared to a developer, for example.

Step 6 – Prioritize tasks and subtasks

This very important step involves the prioritization of tasks by moving them up or down the backbone. High-priority tasks should be kept at the top of the backbone.

Prioritization will depend on the team and their particular product. However, many businesses choose to split the map into vertical sections entitled “could”, “should”, and “must”.

Step 7 – Slice groups of tasks into iterations

By this point, the team should have a backbone up top with a full suite of user stories grouped by activity and prioritized tasks underneath.

Iterations, or a full “slice” of what a product could do, can be seen by moving through the map from left to right.

Each slice then represents a minimum viable product (MVP) that progressively adds value as development progresses.

For each slice, the team must conclude by determining what they hope to accomplish.

That is, does the release contribute to broader company goals? To answer these questions, success metrics should be defined to quantify successful user behaviour.

Story mapping examples

Event site

Imagine an event business that wants to build a website where visitors can look for fun or interesting events to attend with others.

The site will also have a members area where hosts can list and promote their events and a team of moderators will ensure events adhere to rules and regulations.

The user activities with many different steps in this example include:

Participate.
Host, and
Moderate.

Now it is time to break down each user activity into smaller stories, otherwise known as user tasks.

The team places the user tasks under the correct activity and in an order that makes sense to the user.

Participate – choose event → read event details → sign-up for event.
Host – list a new event → promote event → organize event participants.
Moderate – review events for compliance.

With the backbone of the story map defined, subtasks are identified and placed in vertical columns under each user task. In other words:

Choose event – browse event listing page → search events by location → search events by activity type → search events by date.
Read event details – view general event overview → view detailed participant information.
Sign up for event – join participants → select and pay for membership → withdraw from event.
List a new event – enter details of event → receive approval from company → receive rejection from company.
Promote event – share on Facebook → share on Instagram.
Organize event participants – send update → confirm time, date and location.
Review events for compliance – peruse new listings → approve new event → reject new event.

Fill in the blanks

At this point, it is important to walk the map from beginning to end with various user personas to identify any missing subtasks.

As we noted earlier, teams must be on the lookout for instances where the user story differs from user behavior.

In this case, it turns out that the different personas identified quite a few subtasks that were missed by the team.

A few examples include:

Choose event – browse events by those added since last user visit.
Sign up for event – join event wait list.
Promote event – invite other members.
Organize event participants – mark each participant as paid.
Review event for compliance – make alterations to event for compliance.
List a new event – receive event improvement suggestions.

Prioritizing tasks and subtasks

Once diverse user personas have been consulted, it’s time to prioritize tasks and subtasks within each activity.

There’s no use prioritizing the activities themselves since each likely contributes to the operation of the event website.

Say for instance that under the “List a new event activity”, it was determined that the “recent event improvement suggestions” subtask should be given priority over the “rejection from company” subtask.

This, the team agreed, would give event hosts the chance to improve their listing before it was denied outright.

The team should then conclude the progress by selecting tasks from each activity that collectively form an MVP.

Key takeaways

Story mapping is a holistic agile methodology where user stories are considered with respect to how they contribute to the overall user experience.
Story mapping provides a graphical representation of product-user interactions. This helps project teams prioritize iterations according to the value they provide to the user and business.
Story mapping is a seven step, top-down approach which uses the analogy of a tree to break the vision of a product in smaller, actionable steps.

Key highlights of story mapping:

Concept and Purpose: Story mapping is an agile development technique introduced by Jeff Patton in 2005. It’s designed to maintain focus on the big picture while incorporating user stories for agile product development. It revolves around user stories, which communicate product requirements from a user’s perspective.
Engaging and Collaborative: Story mapping is a collaborative activity involving the entire team. It helps prevent distracting arguments about specific features and keeps the focus on user value and business goals.
Mapping Process: The process involves building a visual representation of user stories on a wall, creating a holistic view of the product’s user interactions. This helps outline product-user interactions, identify user benefits, and prioritize development tasks.
Structure Analogy: Story mapping follows a top-down structure similar to a tree. The trunk represents the product vision, large branches denote goals, smaller branches signify activities, and leaves represent user stories.
Steps to Build a Story Map:
- Step 1: Define the common goal or purpose of the product.
- Step 2: Create a story backbone that outlines the user journey from start to finish.
- Step 3: Identify and group related activities that represent common themes.
- Step 4: Break down large tasks into smaller subtasks and user stories.
- Step 5: Test for missing tasks by having different user personas walk through the story.
- Step 6: Prioritize tasks by moving them up or down the backbone.
- Step 7: Slice groups of tasks into iterations to create minimum viable products (MVPs).
Example: Event Site: Illustrated through an event website example, story mapping involves defining user activities (e.g., Participate, Host, Moderate), breaking them into user tasks, identifying subtasks, and ensuring a comprehensive user experience.
Fill in the Blanks: After constructing the backbone and subtasks, conduct a thorough walkthrough with different user personas to identify missing subtasks and discrepancies between the story map and user behavior.
Prioritization: Prioritize tasks and subtasks within each activity based on user needs and business value. This step helps determine the order of development for different features.
MVP Definition: Conclude by selecting tasks from each activity to create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for each iteration. This provides a progressive approach to product development.
Key Takeaways:
- Story mapping focuses on holistic agile development, emphasizing user experience.
- It offers a visual representation of product-user interactions.
- Follows a seven-step top-down approach using the analogy of a tree to structure tasks.
- Prioritization is crucial, often categorized into “could,” “should,” and “must” sections.
- Success metrics should be defined to measure the impact of each development iteration.

Related Frameworks	Description	When to Apply
User Story	– A brief, informal description of a feature or functionality from an end-user perspective. User Stories help Agile teams understand user needs and requirements and prioritize development efforts accordingly.	– When capturing user needs and requirements in a concise, user-centric format to guide product development effectively. – Using User Stories to communicate user needs, prioritize development efforts, and guide iterative product development.
Agile Methodologies	– A set of values, principles, and practices for iterative and incremental software development. Agile methodologies emphasize customer collaboration, adaptability, and delivering value in short cycles.	– When developing software or products in a fast-paced and uncertain environment that requires flexibility, adaptability, and customer focus effectively. – Applying Agile methodologies to foster collaboration, adaptability, and continuous improvement in software development.
Product Backlog	– A prioritized list of features, enhancements, and fixes that need to be implemented in a product. The Product Backlog serves as the single source of truth for what needs to be done in a product.	– When managing and prioritizing product requirements, features, and enhancements effectively to align with business goals and customer needs. – Maintaining a Product Backlog to track and prioritize work items and guide product development efforts iteratively.
Value Stream Mapping (VSM)	– A visual tool used to analyze, document, and improve the flow of materials and information required to bring a product or service to customers. Value Stream Mapping (VSM) identifies waste, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement in production processes.	– When seeking to identify and eliminate waste, inefficiencies, and bottlenecks in production processes effectively. – Using Value Stream Mapping (VSM) to analyze, document, and improve the flow of materials and information in production processes.
Kanban Method	– A visual management approach for organizing work and workflows, visualizing progress, and limiting work in progress (WIP). The Kanban Method helps teams improve flow, reduce lead time, and increase efficiency.	– When seeking to optimize workflow, visualize progress, and limit work in progress effectively to improve efficiency and productivity. – Implementing the Kanban Method to manage work and workflows visually, reduce lead time, and enhance team collaboration.
User Persona	– A fictional representation of a target user based on demographic, behavioral, and psychographic characteristics. User Personas help teams understand user needs, behaviors, and goals and design products or services accordingly.	– When developing products or services for specific user segments, understanding user needs, behaviors, and goals effectively. – Creating User Personas to represent target users and guide product development and design decisions.
Scrum Framework	– An Agile project management framework that emphasizes iterative development, self-organization, and collaboration. The Scrum Framework helps teams deliver value incrementally and adapt to changing requirements.	– When managing complex projects or initiatives in an Agile environment, focusing on delivering value incrementally, adapting to change, and prioritizing tasks effectively. – Implementing the Scrum Framework to organize work into sprints, prioritize tasks, and deliver value iteratively.
Lean Startup	– A methodology for developing businesses and products that aims to shorten product development cycles, validate assumptions, and learn from customer feedback quickly. The Lean Startup emphasizes experimentation, iteration, and validated learning.	– When launching new products or ventures in a fast-changing market, focusing on rapid experimentation, customer validation, and iterative development effectively. – Applying Lean Startup principles to minimize waste, validate assumptions, and accelerate learning in product development.
Customer Journey Mapping	– A visualization of the customer’s journey and interactions with a product or service across various touchpoints and channels. Customer Journey Mapping helps teams understand and improve the customer experience effectively.	– When seeking to understand and improve the customer experience across touchpoints and channels effectively. – Creating Customer Journey Maps to visualize and analyze the customer’s interactions with a product or service and identify opportunities for improvement.
Design Thinking	– A human-centered approach to innovation that focuses on understanding user needs, ideating creative solutions, prototyping, and testing. Design Thinking encourages empathy, collaboration, and experimentation in problem-solving.	– When solving complex problems or developing innovative solutions that meet user needs effectively. – Applying Design Thinking principles to foster empathy, collaboration, and experimentation in product development and problem-solving.