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User Story Prioritization

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User Story prioritization is an essential activity in Scrum. Without prioritization, everything seems important and no decisions get made. It is the process by which you determine which User Stories should be taken up first in the Sprint. Techniques like MoSCoW (Must have, Should have, Could have a…

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PSM I - User Story Prioritization Example Questions

Test your knowledge of User Story Prioritization

Question 1

Your scrum team is involved in the development of a health and fitness app. An 'Integration with social media' user story is estimated to take moderate effort and has high immediate value for release. How should you prioritize this user story?

Correct Answer: Higher in the priority list, due to high immediate value.

In Scrum, user stories should be prioritized based on their value to the customer or the business and the return on investment (ROI). A user story with high immediate value should be ranked higher in the priority list, regardless of effort, to ensure that the most valuable features are delivered first. The wrong answers mislead by suggesting that the prioritization should be based on the Definition of Done, its impact on the Increment, or re-estimation efforts, which are not direct methods of prioritization but rather elements to consider in the broader context of sprint planning and product backlog refinement.

Question 2

In Scrum, which technique best prioritizes User Stories by addressing both their relative value to stakeholders and the complexity of implementing them?

Correct Answer: Weighted Shortest Job First

Weighted Shortest Job First (WSJF) is used to prioritize items by considering both the value to the business and the complexity or effort to implement them, balancing impact against effort. 'Cost of Delay Divided by Duration' is a component of WSJF, not a standalone prioritization technique, making it a tempting but incorrect choice. 'Effort Estimation Ranking' sounds plausible because it suggests prioritizing based on effort, but it doesn't consider value to stakeholders. 'Modified Fibonacci Scaling for Complexity' introduces complexity into the estimation process but does not directly address prioritization by balancing value and complexity, leading it to be a less suitable option.

Question 3

Your scrum team is working on an online tutoring platform. The product owner suggests a user story: 'Enhancing the language translation feature for the chatting system.' Although useful for some users, not everyone needs this feature, and it can be quite effortful. How should this User Story be prioritized?

Correct Answer: The story should be assessed for its Value to the Product Goal and effort required, then prioritized accordingly in the Product Backlog.

In Scrum, prioritization of a user story in the Product Backlog depends on its value to the Product Goal and the effort needed to implement it. The Product Owner, with inputs from the Development Team and stakeholders, decides its priority. Simply estimating story points, calculating ROI, or holding a Sprint Review for a single story do not align with Scrum values and principles for backlog management and prioritization. They either ignore the collective wisdom of the Scrum Team and stakeholders or misapply Scrum events and artifacts.

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