Story writing workshop

So, you are in your week out of time during your season beat.

What are we going to do next season? Time to find out by organizing a story writing workshop where scenarios define the wish result in a big pile of titles for user stories that eventually end up in a comprehensive story map for the next development episode (or two).

Bring in qualified people, forming a broad, deep and cross crew:

• subject matter experts like:
  • product owners;
• actual (future) users of the product;
  • business analysts;
  • architects;
  • testers;
• developers;
• scrum masters, who can be of help with the process;
• visioneers;
• imagineers;
• a fisherman and a female cellist.

Setting the stage

To set the stage, give direction, stick the following to the walls and windows:

• Unity of Purpose
• vibrant personas A1-sized paper; especially listing needs, goals, drives, wishes, and emotions like frustrations;
• theme(s) for the next version (next one or two seasons);
• kano poster
• banners of the rules for better brainstorming

Bring any other material that can provide input:

• User Manuals from the current product that can be used as example;

Atelier

Requirements for the room:

• a large room with space for twice the number of participants;
• (smooth) walls and windows that support sticking banners, Post-its and flip charts to it;
• fresh air and light from outside;
• one large table for each group of six plus or minus one
• banners with the brainstorming rules:
  • give everything a chance (defer judgement);
  • encourage wild ideas

Material

• plenty of:
  • A6 index cards
  • different sized and different colored Post-its; make sure they keep stuck to the walls…
• decorator tape (to stick anything to the walls or glass)
• one sharpie per participant
• a set of Big Ones
• highlighters
• laptops:
  • record scenarios
  • record user story titles
• video projector
• flip charts (one per group)
• a bicycle bell, to ring whenever someone forgets one of the rules for better brainstorming

Agenda

Check-in

• Set goal of workshop
• product owner:
  • bring product roadmap into memory and reiterates it;
  • looks back to previous development episode;
  • explains theme for next development episode;
  • refreshes needs, drives, wishes and emotions of relevant vibrant personas;
  • defines and explains the different focus areas: vibrant personas either/or need areas (like stability, reliability, etc.)
• Facilitator:
  • Split into one subgroups per vibrant persona or need area.
  • Explain workshop better brainstorming rules.

Write Scenarios

• show example
• tell about process of creating consistent, complete, and coherent scenario about a day in the life of a vibrant persona;
• 15' each group self-splits into pairs, each pair writing a specific sub scenario;
• 15' each subgroup, read aloud and review each other's scenarios and make them consistent, complete, and coherent;
• 10' break
• 30' each group, read aloud and review each other's scenarios
• 15' resolve any ambiguities in terminology, improving further on making scenarios consistent, complete, and coherent;

Distill User Story Titles

• explain user story template, emphasizing the ‘verb noun’ aspects
• emphasize that it is mostly about generating user story titles, details and fleshing out will come later, when appropriate
• anything relevant that comes to mind regarding a user story, write it on the index card or post-it, e.g. may be initial acceptance criteria
• round robin type in user story titles as they are called out
• everyone actively eliminates any duplicates as soon as noticed
• jot down new ones as you build on these of others

Create A Story Map

• may be per vibrant persona or need area, whatever is practical and most clear; may merge later on
• have the backbone emerge from the vibrant persona's adventure (workflow) using the system
• within each column heading (step in the workflow), arrange stories vertically on what is wanted first (based on kano and/or necessity, flexibility, intelligence, luxury, and performance.
• check for consistency, completeness and coherence across the story map
• split into upper and lower half; repeat splitting top half until slice can be realized in next {{p|development episode}] (season) as estimated by realization experts (architects, designers, developers, testers);
• check if slice comprises minimal marketable feature and double check if coherent, consistent, and complete;

Digitize Everything

• type in user story titles, including its slice number
• take pictures of all relevant material (including some impressions of the workshop itself)

Post-process Results

• clean up all raw material, make it coherent, consistent, and complete as you go;
• put it into the appropriate systems (RTC, wiki, what have you)
• make the user stories in the top slice ready to build