Epics and Themes

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Epics and Themes are ways to organize User Stories into larger categories. "Epics" are big User Stories that are too large to be completed in one sprint and hence need to be broken down further. Whereas, "Themes" are groups of related user stories. So, if several user stories together contribute to…

Guide to Epics and Themes for PSM I

What it is:
Within Scrum, you'll often come across terms like Epics and Themes. An Epic is a large user story, typically one that is too big to be implemented in a single sprint and therefore needs to be broken down into several smaller user stories for implementation. A Theme is a collection of user stories, epics or initiatives that share a common objective or are related in some way.

Why it's important:
Epics and Themes help in aggregating and organizing work in Scrum. They guide the Scrum team in planning, prioritizing, and executing work, which ultimately leads to more efficient delivery of value to the stakeholder.

How it works:
During backlog refinement or sprint planning, the Scrum team identifies Epics and Themes. They further break down Epics into smaller, manageable user stories which can be implemented in a single sprint. Themes help in grouping related user stories or epics, aiding efficient planning and prioritization.

Exam Tips - Answering Questions on Epics and Themes:
1. Understand the definitions and differences between epics, themes, and user stories.
2. Be aware of how and why these are used in Scrum. For questions on making choice, consider the impact on deliverable value and stakeholder satisfaction.
3. Practice identifying and breaking down epics to user stories and grouping stories to themes in given scenarios.
4. Remember, Epics are more about breadth (large scope) while user stories are about depth (detail).

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PSM I - Epics and Themes Example Questions

Test your knowledge of Epics and Themes

Question 1

During the Sprint retrospective meeting, a team member raised a concern that the epic 'Improve Application Speed' lacks a strategic focus. As a Scrum Master, what is an appropriate response to this?

Suggest pausing the sprint to conduct a comprehensive review of all epics and their alignment with the product roadmap. Encourage the team to provide actionable feedback on how to enhance the epic's strategic focus. Advise the team to focus on completing tasks rapidly regardless of their alignment with strategic goals, aiming to increase the velocity for the current sprint. Propose reallocating the team's resources to expedite work on high-priority items in the Product Backlog without reassessment.

Correct Answer: Encourage the team to provide actionable feedback on how to enhance the epic's strategic focus.

The correct approach involves fostering an environment where team members are encouraged to provide feedback and suggest improvements in a constructive manner, focusing on actionable steps to refine and enhance the focus of the epic. Suggesting a pause during the sprint or reallocating resources without a focused reassessment doesn’t address the concern of strategic alignment directly and may lead to misalignment with product goals. Advising the team to focus solely on task completion speed disregards the importance of strategic alignment and quality in product development.

Question 2

Your team is working on an 'User Interface Improvement' Theme which consists of multiple closely related Epics. The priority of these Epics frequently changes, leading to confusion. What is the most suitable way to manage this?

Collaborate with the Product Owner to understand the changes in business priorities and realign the backlog. Continuously integrate changes into the work without reviewing them with the Product Owner or team to save time. Initiate a voting process among the stakeholders and the team to democratically decide the next Epic to focus on, fostering team autonomy. Organize a series of workshops with stakeholders to create a fixed roadmap for the next six months, thus avoiding further changes in priorities.

Correct Answer: Collaborate with the Product Owner to understand the changes in business priorities and realign the backlog.

In Scrum, it is essential to regularly inspect and adapt. If the priorities of Epics within a theme such as 'User Interface Improvement' change, it is crucial for the Scrum Master to facilitate an understanding of these changes between the Product Owner and the Development Team. This helps to ensure that the team is always working on the most valuable items. Continuously integrating changes without review, relying purely on democratic voting, or setting a fixed roadmap for a long period are practices that are less aligned with Scrum principles, which emphasize flexibility, collaboration, and adaptation based on current priorities and insights.

Question 3

You are the Scrum Master for a team working on a large scale project. There came up an Epic 'Optimize Database' that might take several sprints to complete. How should you handle this?

Implement a spike to investigate the most efficient ways to optimize the database before proceeding with actual work. Break down the Epic into smaller user stories that are feasible to be completed within a sprint. Prioritize the Epic for a dedicated sprint to focus solely on its completion, minimizing work on other stories. Allocate the first sprint to research and devise a strategic plan for the Epic before breaking it into user stories.

Correct Answer: Break down the Epic into smaller user stories that are feasible to be completed within a sprint.

The correct approach in Scrum for handling large-scale work items like Epics is to decompose them into smaller, more manageable user stories that can fit within a single sprint's capacity. This ensures that the work is manageable and allows for incremental delivery and feedback. The wrong answers represent alternative strategies that might seem plausible but are not ideal practices in Scrum. Allocating a sprint for planning or dedicating one to the Epic goes against the principle of continuous delivery and rapid feedback. A spike is a time-boxed investigation, which could be part of the approach, but it doesn't address the immediate need to break down the Epic for sprint planning purposes.

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