Formatting work items as "As a <user> I want <to achieve a goal> so that I can <have value>" seems straightforward when developing an app or building a website. For instance, "As a user of a travel booking app, I want to get suggestions about local restaurants, so that I can have a more enjoyable trip."
However, applying user stories can be quite challenging for teams in marketing or finance. During Agile transformation, the concept of user stories often gets introduced. But, over time, many teams revert to old habits—it's hard to blame them; user stories are not trivial.
Despite these challenges, user stories are incredibly valuable. They help teams focus on maximizing customer value delivery and facilitate better prioritization, driving enhanced business outcomes. For more insights into prioritization in Agile, check out my previous
blog post.
In this post, I would like to share a few tips on how to adopt user stories more effectively, even if your team is resistant or doesn’t yet see their full value.