Mindset 1:
Focus on the conversation – 3 C’s of user stories – Card, conversation, confirmation
Documents can be ambiguous, bi-directional conversation is better.
Don’t blame the dev if they didn’t read the document
Technique – Backlog grooming, whole team, 3 hours per sprint, look at the actual system if it helps, everyone should have the same picture in their head at the end as the customer. Your role is facilitator not information provider
Confirm acceptance criteria. What will the customer look for to know this is complete
Maersk UAT story.
Doesn’t matter if the spec is right if the customer is unhappy. Don’t check against the spec or contract, check with users that they are happy.
Get real user feedback often, don’t have to release to get feedback, be creative.
Use UX techniques
Focus on who and why not what and how
Think about impacts elsewhere and visualise
Involve the whole team, don’t try to solve it by yourself and get perfect
Technique – mindmaps
Benefits – visual, reminder of conversation, go broad and then exclude scope instead of assumptions
A picture is worth 1000 words, only write what is necessary
Use BDD scenarios to capture business rules
Talk first write it down later
If a document is needed make it part of DOD
Help identify MUST and nice to have (MVP)
Story Maps, MVP
Deliberate discovery
Scope doesn’t creep understanding grows
Premature details lead to rework, rather be explicit if you don’t know
Be wary of ilities – perfomance, etc. Discuss the real need.
Story SLA (don’t know – let’s say 30 minutes…)