This document provides 10 tips for breaking up user stories that are too difficult, complex, expensive, or have too many dependencies. The tips recommend splitting stories by focusing on a thin slice of workflow, separating operations, doing the simplest version first, handling a single user, just making it work initially, using a subset of rules, handling one data source, and doing necessary research before taking action. References to additional resources on splitting user stories are also provided.

1. Easy ways to Break Up!
By
Dipesh Pala

3. Why are real life break ups so difficult?

4. Why are real life break ups so difficult?
• Risky

5. Why are real life break ups so difficult?
• Risky
• Dependency

6. Why are real life break ups so difficult?
• Risky
• Dependency
• Complex

7. Why are real life break ups so difficult?
• Risky
• Dependency
• Complex
• Expensive

8. Why are real life break ups so difficult?
• Risky
• Dependency
• Complex
• Expensive
• Lack of Confidence

9. Why are real life break ups so difficult?
• Risky
• Dependency
• Complex
• Expensive
• Lack of Confidence
• Not knowing When or How to Break Up!

10. Break Up Real User
Difficulty Life Stories
Risky
Dependency
Complex
Expensive
Lack of Confidence
Not knowing When or
How to Break Up

12. Three C’s by Ron Jeffries
CARD
CONVERSATION
CONFIRMATION

13. User Story Card
This is an invitation to have a
Conversation
that will result in
Confirmation
of the requirements

14. Three C’s by Ron Jeffries
CARD
CONVERSATION
CONFIRMATION
+1 more C

15. Three C’s by Ron Jeffries
CARD
CONVERSATION
CONFIRMATION
+1 more C
COMMITMENT

16. Bill Wake’s INVEST model
I
N
V
E
S
T

17. Bill Wake’s INVEST model
I NDEPENDENT
N
V
E
S
T

18. Bill Wake’s INVEST model
I NDEPENDENT
NEGOTIABLE
V
E
S
T

19. Bill Wake’s INVEST model
I NDEPENDENT
NEGOTIABLE
VALUABLE
E
S
T

20. Bill Wake’s INVEST model
I NDEPENDENT
NEGOTIABLE
VALUABLE
ESTIMABLE
S
T

21. Bill Wake’s INVEST model
I NDEPENDENT
NEGOTIABLE
VALUABLE
ESTIMABLE
SMALL
T

22. Bill Wake’s INVEST model
I NDEPENDENT
NEGOTIABLE
VALUABLE
ESTIMABLE
SMALL
TESTABLE

24. DIFFICULTIES

25. DIFFICULTIES
EXCUSES

26. DIFFICULTIES
EXCUSES

27. DIFFICULTIES
EXCUSES

28. DIFFICULTIES
EXCUSES

29. Break Up Tip #1
This story is ... Difficulty
too Complex
Does the story describe a Consideration
workflow?
Take a thin slice through the Opportunity
workflow and enhance it later

33. Original User Story
Suggested split by slicing the workflow:
Calculate the Total Payment Amount...

34. Break Up Tip #2
This story is ... Difficulty
too Complex
Does the story include Consideration
multiple operations?
Separate the operations into Opportunity
separate stories

35. Original User Story

36. Original User Story
Suggested split by separate operations

37. Break Up Tip #3
This story is ... Difficulty
too Complex
Does this story have a simple
core that provides most of Consideration
the value?
Split the story to do the Opportunity
simplest option first
and enhance it later

39. Original User Story

40. Original User Story
Suggested split by simple / complex variations

41. Break Up Tip #4
This story is ... Difficulty
too Complex
Does this story have a Consideration
Complex User Interface?
Split the story to do a simple Opportunity
UI first and enhance later

42. Simple
Complex

43. Original User Story

44. Original User Story
Suggested split by UI variations

45. Key Takeaways...

46. Key Takeaways...
Break Up Tip
#1
Take a thin slice
through the
workflow and
enhance it later

47. Key Takeaways...
Break Up Tip
#1
Break Up Tip
Take a thin slice #2
through the
workflow and Separate the
enhance it later operations into
separate stories

48. Key Takeaways... Break Up Tip
#3
Do the simple
version first and
enhance it later
Break Up Tip
#1
Break Up Tip
Take a thin slice #2
through the
workflow and Separate the
enhance it later operations into
separate stories

49. Key Takeaways... Break Up Tip
#3
Do the simple
version first and
enhance it later
Break Up Tip
#1
Break Up Tip
Take a thin slice #2
through the
workflow and Separate the Break Up Tip
enhance it later operations into #4
separate stories
Do a simple UI
first and enhance
later

50. Break Up Tip #5
This story is ... Difficulty
too Expensive
Does this story refer to
multiple users doing similar Consideration
things at the same time?
Split the story to handle Opportunity
single user first and
enhance it later

51. Suggested split by Single / Multiple users

52. Suggested split by Single / Multiple users

53. Break Up Tip #6
This story is ... Difficulty
too Expensive
Does this story become
expensive due to non- Consideration
functional requirements?
Split the story to just make it Opportunity
work first and enhance it
later

54. If you can’t fly, Run.
If you can’t run, Walk.
If you can’t walk, Crawl.
But, by all means keep moving.
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

55. Suggested split by deferring Performance or Quality

56. Break Up Tip #7
This story is ... Difficulty
too Expensive
Does this story have a major
effort regardless of how it is Consideration
split?
Split the story so that most of Opportunity
the value comes from the
first split

57. All Credit Card types

60. Original User Story
Suggested split by Major Effort

61. Key Takeaways...

62. Key Takeaways...
Break Up Tip
#5
Handle single user
first and enhance
it later

63. Key Takeaways...
Break Up Tip
#5
Break Up Tip
Handle single user #6
first and enhance
it later Just make
it work first and
enhance it later

64. Key Takeaways...
Break Up Tip
#5 Break Up Tip
Break Up Tip #7
Handle single user #6
first and enhance Split the story so
it later Just make that most of the
it work first and value comes from
enhance it later the first split

65. Break Up Tip #8
This story has ... Difficulty
too many dependencies
Does this story have a variety Consideration
of business logic?
Split the story to do a subset Opportunity
of rules first, and enhance it
later

67. Original User Story

68. Original User Story
Suggested split by business logic

69. Break Up Tip #9
This story has ... Difficulty
too many dependencies
Does this story refer to data Consideration
from multiple sources?
Split the story to handle data Opportunity
from one source first
and enhance later

71. Original User Story

72. Original User Story
Suggested split by data variation

73. Break Up Tip #10
This story has ... Difficulty
too many dependencies
Does this story need any
investigation prior to being Consideration
started?
Split the story so that the Opportunity
research is done first,
with action later

74. The longest journey starts with a small step...

75. Key Takeaways...

76. Key Takeaways...
Break Up Tip
#8
Do a subset of
rules first, and
enhance it later

77. Key Takeaways...
Break Up Tip
#8
Break Up Tip
Do a subset of #9
rules first, and
enhance it later Handle data from
one interface first
and enhance later

78. Key Takeaways...
Break Up Tip
#8 Break Up Tip
Break Up Tip #10
Do a subset of #9
rules first, and Do the research
enhance it later Handle data from first, with action
one interface first later
and enhance later

79. References
• http://www.richardlawrence.info/2009/10/28/patterns-for-splitting-user-
stories
• http://www.mountaingoatsoftware.com/topics/user-stories
• http://www.agileforall.com/2010/05/03/new-to-agile-remember-a-user-
story-is-more-than-a-card
• http://xprogramming.com/articles/expcardconversationconfirmation
• http://xp123.com/articles/invest-in-good-stories-and-smart-tasks
• Cohn, Mike. 2004. User Stories Applied: For Agile Software Development.
Boston, MA: Addison-Wesley.
• Jeffries, Ron. 2001, August. “Essential XP: Card, Conversation, and
Confirmation.” XP Magazine.
• All images collected through Google

86. Q & A

87. Dipesh Pala
Agile Capability Lead
Solnet Solutions
e: dipesh.pala@solnetsolutions.com.au
m: +61 404 152 850
p: 1800 442 472
w: solnetsolutions.com.au
in: au.linkedin.com/in/dipeshpala
t: @dipeshpala