User Story Maps

5 minutes 5 Questions

User Story Mapping arranges user stories on a two-dimensional grid aligned along a timeline of activities, which helps to create a clearer picture of the product functionality and its usage. It offers a more holistic view of the product being developed and allows the team members to understand the …

Guide: Understanding User Story Maps and Exam Tips

A User Story Map is a visual representation that helps manage the work in an Agile way. In the context of Scrum, these maps are an important tool for product backlog management and for ensuring a user-centric approach to work planning.
They layout user stories into a helpful visual format that allows teams to see the big picture. It arranges user stories according to the sequence or workflow from the user's perspective, helping to ensure a user-centric approach.
Why is it important?
User Story Maps ensure that the team does not lose the sight of the big picture in lieu of detailed tasks. It also ensures that the work done by the team always aligns itself with user demands - which is a key driver of value in any project.
How it works?
It starts off with identifying major user tasks, which are laid out from left to right in sequence of execution. These tasks are also referred to as 'Epics'. Under these tasks, teams can then start detailing out specific user stories.
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on User Story Maps
Understand the why's and how's of a user story map to answer questions in the exam. Work through practice examples of creating or analyzing user story maps as often as possible. Get a clear idea about different steps involved in creating a user story map. Remember the end objective of a user story map - to deliver value to the user. Make sure to read questions carefully before answering; some might require critical thinking than plain knowledge.

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PSM I - User Story Maps Example Questions

Test your knowledge of User Story Maps

Question 1

Your Scrum team is struggling to prioritize user stories within a large project. How can User Story Maps assist?

User Story Maps provide an automated tool that assigns a priority score to each story based on its complexity and estimated time for development. User Story Maps allow the team to visualize all user stories and arrange them interactively in order of their priority, facilitating a better understanding of the product backlog. User Story Maps are typically utilized for identifying dependencies between stories, which inadvertently helps in sequencing but doesn't directly contribute to prioritization based on business value or necessity. User Story Maps are solely used to track the progress of each user story after it has been completed and does not assist in the prioritization process.

Correct Answer: User Story Maps allow the team to visualize all user stories and arrange them interactively in order of their priority, facilitating a better understanding of the product backlog.

User Story Mapping is a valuable agile tool that aids in visualization of the project's scope and helps in strategically planning and prioritizing work. It allows the team to see the big picture by mapping out user stories against the customer journey or goals, making it easier to prioritize them based on the value they provide or necessity. The incorrect answers misinterpret the purpose of User Story Maps by emphasizing tracking completion, automated prioritization, or dependency mapping without highlighting its true value in interactive and visual prioritization.

Question 2

As a Scrum Master, your team is having a hard time breaking down user stories for an upcoming sprint. How could User Story Mapping assist the team faced with this problem?

User Story Mapping could assist by facilitating the breakdown of user stories into smaller, manageable tasks, thereby making it easy for the team. User Story Mapping could assist by eliminating the need for user stories. User Story Mapping could complicate the process. User Story Mapping doesn't help in breaking down user stories.

Correct Answer: User Story Mapping could assist by facilitating the breakdown of user stories into smaller, manageable tasks, thereby making it easy for the team.

User Story Mapping is a technique used in Agile and Scrum methodologies to help teams understand their customer's journey more completely and therefore, it could facilitate the breakdown of user stories into smaller, manageable tasks, making it easy for the team. This approach helps Keep the focus on the user's needs, see the bigger picture and discuss the details effectively. The other answers are incorrect because User Story Mapping does not eliminate the need for user stories, it actually enhances their use. It is a tool for simplification, not complication. This process is used specifically for facilitating the breakdown of user stories rather than creating difficulties.

Question 3

A newly formed Scrum team is facing difficulties aligning different departments within a project. How can User Story Maps provide a solution?

User Story Maps can arrange user stories to create a visual representation of the workflow, bringing everyone on the same page User Story Maps are irrelevant when dealing with inter-department alignment User Story Maps are only used for identifying bugs in the system User Story Maps can provide entertainment through a game-like experience, lightening the mood within the team

Correct Answer: User Story Maps can arrange user stories to create a visual representation of the workflow, bringing everyone on the same page

A User Story Map organizes and presents user stories in a helpful and visual layout. They convey the journey a customer undertakes with the product, illustrating details that contribute to their overall experience. This visual representation can enlighten everyone involved in the project about the workflow and contributes to better alignment between different departments. For this reason, the correct answer is: 'User Story Maps can arrange user stories to create a visual representation of the workflow, bringing everyone on the same page'. Let's go through the other options to understand their flaws: 'User Story Maps are irrelevant when dealing with inter-department alignment' is incorrect as we clarified that they can indeed assist with project alignment. 'User Story Maps are only used for identifying bugs in the system' is not true since story maps serve to portray user experiences and journeys, not software testing or quality assurance. Finally, 'User Story Maps can provide entertainment through a game-like experience, lightening the mood within the team' oversimplifies the utility of Story Maps and undermines their actual objective and role in project development and team alignment.

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