I totally agree with you. In 2021 I believe Mike is still bang on the money. What I find interesting is a new trend of trying to use Kanban but without any planning. I.e. pull solutions through the system. Developoment that pays talks to this in a latest video where Gary pins down the 7 f's. I.e. Foundation, Flex, Focus, Flow, Fuel, FAREWELL (TO PLANNING), Fine Tune. I watched a few teams trying to get this to work and production fell right off. I.e. you must have a project process (scrum or etc.) in order to "mind the gap" and user stories are the best way I know to pin down requirements. Mike's way with the 3 c's really "crushes" how to do it well. He has many books and these are all highly recommended.
Hey Mike, I am interning in Product Management at a big ERP software provider and am new to User Stories. Dude, this talk is insane! Among all the videos on UA-cam I checked out, you make this understandable and easy to follow. So much fun watching this, thank you!!
This video clarifies so many things I've seen being applied but never truly understood. Now I "got it", it's so sad to think so many people is still following procedures and templates without getting the rationale behind them, particularly the backlog grooming part. I think an essential aspect many teams miss about Agile is picking the smaller tasks which we know we can implement in a couple of weeks, so that we can actually deliver them. The way I've seen it done is a bunch of seniors adding specs to the user stories many times carrying them from one sprint to another, which kind of defeats the purpose, turning the process into a "Kanagilebanscrumfall" (notice the use of "Agile ban"). Thanks!
This was crucially helpful watching this today. As an agile coach / PO for almost as long ago as your video was posted, this is by far the best breakdown on this topic I’ve seen... if only I’d seen it at my start lol... no worries though starting tomorrow this will be applied in many productive ways - thanks mike!
Mike, thanks for sharing. It is nice to see a presentation from an obviously experienced professional that isn't simply selling something and includes practical insight.
It's the best video around on writing user stories !!! It made me watch all the others videos of you Mike :) I am glad that I came across this beauty...
Awesome presentation! Watched this one because i've been not using user stories in years and just started using it again, really great reminder and actually quit a few thinks I'm certain I would not have considered before. Next week I'm planning to look for more video's from you, this was both helpfull and entertaining, thanks!
Thanks Mike for this great video! I deployed a big project in Waterfall (for over 2 years) and now im only working in Agile. Really appreciste your video!
Transitioning to an Agile project for the 1st time in the near future and this User Stories presentation is very helpful. Looking forward to reviewing more of your videos.
Thanks Mike for such a knowledgeable session! I anyways like and learn through your books, for the first time I went through your video and got equally impressed and got to know new things. I specially liked your Balance between development team and Management in this video. Keep posting and help us gain knowledge.
Mike, that's a great one. it is easy to follow, covers all key aspects in easy and very nice way, nice argumentation and great examples from the real life! Thanks
You're welcome. I am a really big fan of your posts, books, and lessons. They have helped me immensely in my professional development as a ScrumMaster. Whenever I have any doubts about something to try with a scrum team I always look at your material for reference (for example only give points for completed work). Thank you for all the contributions that you provide to the agile/scrum community.
Hi Ilessa, User stories are hard to master. They're kind of like learning to golf. So, I hope the video is helpful to people here in the US still even though it's ten years old.
I think its important to always put the So That clause. It reminds everyone of the reason why you're doing something and the value delivered to the client. So that is the part that we're being judged on - so make sure So that is defined!
Sure Mike... Can certainly feel contrived. Thats for the vid btw. As a UA-cam User, I am required to login, So that I can access Mike Cohn's vids! :) There is always value in logging in... and if you can't think of it. In my workshops I teach ALWAYS put the So That. And think HARD about the So That (The better the So That, the easier the Product Owner can prioritise)
Wonderful session. One query..we said in product backlog low priority stories (lower in the pyramid), can be of big size. We can break them when they are ready to work on. In this can case the estimation or project (which we get from sum story points of all stories) be accurate(or near to accurate) , as big stories may not to estimated properly.
I have a story of inprecise words and a restaurant. I used to be a vegan and I ordered vegetarian dumplings in London. When they came I noticed there was pork in them. I challenged the waiter why they wrote vegetarian next to it. He replied it was not a lot of meat and that would count as vegetarian for them. The point is that although I thought I knew what I would get I did not get what was written due to a difference in perception. I we would have chatted a bit more before I ordered we could have cleared that right up.
Thank you Mike, I received an email from my professor making reference to your book. I didn't waste a min to look for it and read it, I must tell you it helps me understand my project / coursework better.
My question is not related to user stories but Scrum. I hope you wont mind answering it :). Can we change the time box duration of prescribed events in SCRM. such as if we learn that for last 12 sprints we have noticed we need more time than agreed for daily Scrum or sprint planning or review?. Does SCRM allow this
I am watching the lecture on this subject and I am enjoying it. A good introduction to stories with examples. Perfect lecturing - no aahs and mmhs and oohs. Can you guide me as to how to obtain the PDU as well? - Got it!!
Great presentation, do you also have something or point me to something that concentrates more on giving examples of stories that are independent and other cases where they are not independent but necessary, in order for me to crystallise this concept. What does it mean that a story is independent even though it has precursors and successors ?
Thank you Mike, that would be really great and am looking forward to that. I also came across the following : "Stories should be atomic, so that can be started and finished in isolation from other ones (like a database transaction). Usually this completeness is achieved by defining a story as a vertical slice of an application, a feature that encompasses the database layer, the domain model and the user interface at the same time." But I guess for me to understand it I guess I need to compare different types of stories, stories that are "atomic" (excluding the database eg) and those that are not. Stories that are Vertically sliced and those that are not. Stories that are vertically sliced are they also not dependent upon say perhaps a class that was written for a preceding story which is now reused for the current story and hence if the implementation behavior in any of those stories changes such that the common 'class/object' between them also needs to change then how can such a story be independent even though it is vertically sliced ? Just thought I mention the above points so that you might address them in your new video class :-) hopefully - Many Thanks.
![Agile Estimating | What Makes a Plan Agile? [Plus Story Points & Planning Poker]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/37zfyncCpkA/mqdefault.jpg)
![Agile Estimating | What Makes a Plan Agile? [Plus Story Points & Planning Poker]](/img/tr.png)
Thank you Mike. You made me understand it in the simplest possible way.
This is about 8 years old now and still being very useful and complete. Thanks!
This is about 5 years old now and yet this is still the best.
L
I agree, I am currently using lessons learnt from this video to design a user story for an application.
I totally agree with you. In 2021 I believe Mike is still bang on the money. What I find interesting is a new trend of trying to use Kanban but without any planning. I.e. pull solutions through the system. Developoment that pays talks to this in a latest video where Gary pins down the 7 f's. I.e. Foundation, Flex, Focus, Flow, Fuel, FAREWELL (TO PLANNING), Fine Tune. I watched a few teams trying to get this to work and production fell right off. I.e. you must have a project process (scrum or etc.) in order to "mind the gap" and user stories are the best way I know to pin down requirements. Mike's way with the 3 c's really "crushes" how to do it well. He has many books and these are all highly recommended.
It's actually 12 years now and it's still makes perfect sense
thanks Mike, It has been a great relief
I'm glad it was helpful.
Hey Mike, I am interning in Product Management at a big ERP software provider and am new to User Stories. Dude, this talk is insane! Among all the videos on UA-cam I checked out, you make this understandable and easy to follow. So much fun watching this, thank you!!
This video clarifies so many things I've seen being applied but never truly understood. Now I "got it", it's so sad to think so many people is still following procedures and templates without getting the rationale behind them, particularly the backlog grooming part. I think an essential aspect many teams miss about Agile is picking the smaller tasks which we know we can implement in a couple of weeks, so that we can actually deliver them. The way I've seen it done is a bunch of seniors adding specs to the user stories many times carrying them from one sprint to another, which kind of defeats the purpose, turning the process into a "Kanagilebanscrumfall" (notice the use of "Agile ban"). Thanks!
This was crucially helpful watching this today. As an agile coach / PO for almost as long ago as your video was posted, this is by far the best breakdown on this topic I’ve seen... if only I’d seen it at my start lol... no worries though starting tomorrow this will be applied in many productive ways - thanks mike!
Thank you Mr. Mike
You're welcome.
Mike, thanks for sharing. It is nice to see a presentation from an obviously experienced professional that isn't simply selling something and includes practical insight.
This is the best video I found so far on you tube on user stories. Mike,You explained all very well I dont think it can be done better than that.
Mike - Great presentation and refresher from past courses of yours. Especially enjoyed, "the balance between business and technology." Oh so true!
OMG Mike, you are a student life savier!!!! The best lecture EVER about user stories. Thank you SO MUCH. Greetings from Brazil!
Amazing and most effective explanation of User Stories with real and practical examples. It helped me a lot .Thanks a lot
It's the best video around on writing user stories !!! It made me watch all the others videos of you Mike :) I am glad that I came across this beauty...
Amazingly insightful, and easy to understand. Thank you very much Mr. Cohn. You have an astounding teaching ability.
The most amazing session on user stories!
Awesome presentation! Watched this one because i've been not using user stories in years and just started using it again, really great reminder and actually quit a few thinks I'm certain I would not have considered before. Next week I'm planning to look for more video's from you, this was both helpfull and entertaining, thanks!
Thanks Mike for this great video! I deployed a big project in Waterfall (for over 2 years) and now im only working in Agile. Really appreciste your video!
Transitioning to an Agile project for the 1st time in the near future and this User Stories presentation is very helpful. Looking forward to reviewing more of your videos.
Very useful and wonderfully presented!! Thanks Mike.
Thanks mike you are a true professional.
Excellent presentation Mike
Great presentation n great way of explanation! Loved it!
Still relevant today and very informative.
very nice presentation Mr. Mike you did great job
Mike, Thanks a lot for this great content. Whoever watch this video would know how to write user stories and why it is so important. Thanks again.
This is a great refresher. Always good to get back to the basics no matter how long you'e been using Scrum.
Hi Mike, you are a great presenter and the way you explain things is so simple. Great job mate!!
Thanks Mike for such a knowledgeable session!
I anyways like and learn through your books, for the first time I went through your video and got equally impressed and got to know new things.
I specially liked your Balance between development team and Management in this video.
Keep posting and help us gain knowledge.
Great video, thanks.
Thanks Mike this is a Life changer
Great presentation with apt examples
This is 6 years old this year - but STILL informative. Thanks Mike
Good presentation about user story! Very useful!
Very nice talk! Thanks for sharing.
So helpful! Thanks Mike!
Mike, that's a great one.
it is easy to follow, covers all key aspects in easy and very nice way, nice argumentation and great examples from the real life!
Thanks
1000 likes thanks a lot! The book is great!
Thanks, Ion. I appreciate it
A great, clear & well balanced video. I love it.
Great insights and I was able to use this in my coaching sessions and mentoring teams..
Excellent video Sir.Very thankful to you.
Thanks Mike ... great presentation... your way of using the card is an idea I am going to take and use
great talk, thank you
Very nice talk. I love it. Thanks for sharing that.
Watched a few years ago reviewed so still learned a lot.
Very Informative, Mike. Captivating Presentation, I never left my seat for this 52 mins. Thanks a lot.
hello Dear Mike, This was an excellent piece of work. thank you.
Awesome video. I think I might show this to one of my new scrum teams. You explained it a lot better than I could!
You're welcome. I am a really big fan of your posts, books, and lessons. They have helped me immensely in my professional development as a ScrumMaster. Whenever I have any doubts about something to try with a scrum team I always look at your material for reference (for example only give points for completed work). Thank you for all the contributions that you provide to the agile/scrum community.
Great Presentation thanks. Loved it
Thanks a lot, This is my first time to deal with user story as a collecting requirements technique and sure your presentation was very helpful
Such a good talk, still relevant
Thank you. Great content and you are brilliant presenter!
Very informative and very well presented. Thanks...
Thanks for the great presentation!.
Mike: Very useful information shared here. Very helpful for newer scrum teams. Thanks for sharing!
Excellent. Well put. Very useful. Thank you
Um vídeo desses de 10 anos atrás sendo mostrado aqui no Brasil, fico pensando quantos anos mais estaremos atrasados em relação aos outros países.
Hi Ilessa, User stories are hard to master. They're kind of like learning to golf. So, I hope the video is helpful to people here in the US still even though it's ten years old.
Excellent rhythm,,, clear instructions. Things Do make sense here..!! :)
I keep coming back to this, been using scrum for 10 years but always learn more with each viewing
Super informative! I worked at a global tech company for 8 years working in and on software products and never understood it clearly
Thanks, Steven. I'm glad this was helpful.
great talk on use case. It really helps me to make a great project during my internship.
Mike Cohn thank u😊
Starting out learning stories and this was an excellent and informative presentation.
I think its important to always put the So That clause. It reminds everyone of the reason why you're doing something and the value delivered to the client. So that is the part that we're being judged on - so make sure So that is defined!
Sure Mike... Can certainly feel contrived. Thats for the vid btw. As a UA-cam User, I am required to login, So that I can access Mike Cohn's vids! :) There is always value in logging in... and if you can't think of it. In my workshops I teach ALWAYS put the So That. And think HARD about the So That (The better the So That, the easier the Product Owner can prioritise)
*Thats = Thanks
Thank you sir Mike! This is helpful!
thanks mike. very useful!!
Thanks a lot for these precious knowledges. I am about to manage my first project and this helps a lot.
Awesome resource!
great analogies mike! you are now one of my favorite web speakers and instructor.
Nice.
Wonderful Presentation Mike ! Helped me revise my concepts on user stories...
Dear Mike, great talk! Please do more and more and more :)
Simply Awesome, will love to listen to you more often
Awesome, many thanks
Superb...Thank you so much.
Thank you very much.
its very informative. Thanks
Wonderful session. One query..we said in product backlog low priority stories (lower in the pyramid), can be of big size. We can break them when they are ready to work on. In this can case the estimation or project (which we get from sum story points of all stories) be accurate(or near to accurate) , as big stories may not to estimated properly.
Thank you. it is really useful.
Mike, Great presentation. Thank you, Tim S.
I have a story of inprecise words and a restaurant. I used to be a vegan and I ordered vegetarian dumplings in London. When they came I noticed there was pork in them. I challenged the waiter why they wrote vegetarian next to it. He replied it was not a lot of meat and that would count as vegetarian for them. The point is that although I thought I knew what I would get I did not get what was written due to a difference in perception. I we would have chatted a bit more before I ordered we could have cleared that right up.
Thank you Mike, I received an email from my professor making reference to your book. I didn't waste a min to look for it and read it, I must tell you it helps me understand my project / coursework better.
It's a great video! Thank you!
Really, really great presentation! I look forward to watching more!
Mike, thanks for the video - great presentation!
its a very helpful video for me.
Hi Mike,Great Presentation. Have a question. When exactly does the User Story Workshops take place? And also Product backlog Grooming?
Thank you
You're welcome.
Excellent thank you
great presentation Mike, really informative specially for a beginner like myself.
Maybe start with the why next
Good Point covers for User Stories...
Very informative..
clear, simple and understandable point of view, thanks for sharing!
Will keep looking your videos!!
Well done!
Fantastic video Mike. How did you make these slides - what tools/template etc? They are very creative and unique
thanks
My question is not related to user stories but Scrum. I hope you wont mind answering it :). Can we change the time box duration of prescribed events in SCRM. such as if we learn that for last 12 sprints we have noticed we need more time than agreed for daily Scrum or sprint planning or review?. Does SCRM allow this
Thanks Mike, you have given a very good explanation in a very simple way. Thanks for your help.
how we can know the difference between user story and tasks. There may be some tasks which we can make user stories as well.
Thanks
I am watching the lecture on this subject and I am enjoying it. A good introduction to stories with examples. Perfect lecturing - no aahs and mmhs and oohs.
Can you guide me as to how to obtain the PDU as well? - Got it!!
Great presentation, do you also have something or point me to something that concentrates more on giving examples of stories that are independent and other cases where they are not independent but necessary, in order for me to crystallise this concept. What does it mean that a story is independent even though it has precursors and successors ?
Thank you Mike, that would be really great and am looking forward to that.
I also came across the following :
"Stories should be atomic, so that can be started and finished in isolation from other ones (like a database transaction).
Usually this completeness is achieved by defining a story as a vertical slice of an application, a feature that encompasses the database layer, the domain model and the user interface at the same time."
But I guess for me to understand it I guess I need to compare different types of stories, stories that are "atomic" (excluding the database eg) and those that are not. Stories that are Vertically sliced and those that are not.
Stories that are vertically sliced are they also not dependent upon say perhaps a class that was written for a preceding story which is now reused for the current story and hence if the implementation behavior in any of those stories changes such that the common 'class/object' between them also needs to change then how can such a story be independent even though it is vertically sliced ?
Just thought I mention the above points so that you might address them in your new video class :-) hopefully - Many Thanks.