Should epics be named after big tasks/ Steps in user journey ? or Should they be just big features which can't be implemented in a Single Sprint?
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1You don't actually need epics. Epics are just stories that don't fit within a single Sprint. What are you actually trying to do? What's your use case?– Todd A. Jacobs ♦Commented Jun 29, 2017 at 20:34
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I have organized my backlog with Epics (which are big features that can't be completed in a single sprint). Then have user stories classified underneath them. I recently heard about having a User Story mapping exercise which help organize the epics based on User Journey which in turn are essential set of activities user accomplished . So I was wondering should I be having Epics based off of major activities in User Journey to take advantage of User Story Mapping– user5704279Commented Jun 29, 2017 at 20:47
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Not really. Steps are more like themes than epics, but it's still just a way of grouping related stories.– Todd A. Jacobs ♦Commented Jun 29, 2017 at 21:47
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This is a really interesting concept. I like it.– RubberDuckCommented Jun 29, 2017 at 22:44
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1Minor notes. There is no "Agile methodology." Four values and twelve principles comprise the Manifesto for Software Development, a philosophy/mind-set/approach not a defined set of procedures. Sprint is a term in the Scrum framework, often borrowed by others as a name for an iteration. Epics are generally any collection of related User Stories. (If there is a definitive source for the concept of an epic, please share.)– Alan LarimerCommented Jul 1, 2017 at 23:40
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2 Answers
Use Story Mapping is powerful and useful, but even for epics you want to think in terms of User Stories. Organizing those stories by "User Journey" is great. That's a way to see the flow and get a sense of what the MVP will look like.
So, now you might have epics that start, "as a user, I need a way to set up, maintain, and change my configuration so that..." as a start of one User Journey. It's just a way to help you think out the appropriate User Stories with which to provide context for what needs to be developed.
I really like Jeff Patton's book on the subject, "User Story Mapping" if you want to read more--available wherever you have access to Safari.
Agree with Ari Davidow's answer that User Story Mapping and User Journey's are powerful and useful tools for the team to understand the flow and better understand the MVP goal.
Epics/Initiatives should be defined and written at the highest User scenario possible where the Stories and tasks can then be broken down into the actionable work. The User Mapping would be a good fit at the Epic/Initiative level and the User Journey would be a good fit within the Stories.
Mountain Goat has a good article on the basics of User Stories: https://www.mountaingoatsoftware.com/agile/user-stories
