Story Mapping
Story Mapping is a specialized technique predominantly employed in projects that follow an adaptive life cycle. This method is invaluable in organizing and sequencing user stories based on their inherent business value and the typical sequence in which users perform them. The objective is to arrive at a collective understanding within the team of what precisely needs to be built. This shared understanding aids not just in development but also signals where additional analysis may be necessary.
Components of Story Mapping
Story mapping consists of two primary structural elements:
Backbone: This represents the core capabilities absolutely required for the initial release to achieve its purpose. Often equated with the Minimum Viable Product (MVP), the backbone is essentially a high-level view, often articulated as features, epics, or even user stories.
Walking Skeleton: This comprises the complete end-to-end functionalities that stakeholders deem necessary for the solution to be viable or acceptable. Often referred to as the Minimum Marketable Features (MMF), the walking skeleton is usually described by a comprehensive set of user stories.
Individual user stories are arranged vertically under the associated user stories of the walking skeleton. They are prioritized from top to bottom, starting with the highest business value to the lowest.
Story Mapping and Release Allocation
Another application of story mapping is in release planning. Releases can be represented as horizontal lines on a story map, each effectively demarcating a grouping of functionality based on team capacity and planned release dates. Thus, each horizontal section on the map represents a release, while vertical groupings symbolize functional clusters.
Role in Prioritization
Though story mapping can act as a standalone prioritization technique, it can also be complemented by other prioritization methods. By offering a spatial and logical organization of what needs to be built, it assists product teams in understanding the sequence in which features or components should be developed and released to customers.
Utility in Business Analysis
From the vantage point of business analysis, story mapping offers a structured approach to identifying gaps in user capabilities, thereby informing the business analyst where more rigorous analysis might be necessary. By laying out the whole picture in a structured format, it allows stakeholders and team members to better understand the scope, scale, and complexities involved, making it an invaluable tool for effective business analysis in adaptive environments.