Project 6 - Solution for C

Time: 30 Minutes

User Story Example

In an effort to move toward lightweight tools and emphasize more collaboration among the project
team, the PMO encourages the use of user stories written on an Index Card and displayed on a Kanban
board. Create an example of a User Story from the product backlog and create a Kanban board you
would recommend for the project.

A User Story typically follows a template that states “As a <User>, I want to <perform an action> so that I
can <get a result>.” Let’s look at one of the PBIs listed in the backlog as an example:

Visualize data using Bar Graph, Vector Line, or Scatter Diagram

You will need to use a little creativity to write a user story with this example, but let’s try this:

As a Field Engineer, I want to visualize data using a bar graph to determine whether I should
continue drilling.

This description provides more context for a developer. Now you can identify the type of user, a Field
Engineer, and use this to determine how to deliver this functionality based on some assumptions of
skills and work environment. If you had a persona to reference about the Field Engineer, you could
determine their skills and background (perhaps they have an Engineering or Geology degree, they have
ten years of oilfield experience, and they are performing their analysis in the oilfield, which is often a
demanding environment for analysis). This would help the developer in creating a solution that is easy
to quickly interpret within a field environment but uses commonly accepted engineering references.

Agile emphasizes a technique called Card-Conversation-Confirmation. The user story should guide a
conversation between the product owner (the person that created the user story) and the developer.
After the conversation occurs, the product owner should also write the “Confirmation” or Acceptance
test that should be performed to demonstrate that user story has been completed. Some examples of
Acceptance Criteria could include:

• Data displayed in a bar chart with blue used for depth and red used for blocks that occurred
during drilling
• All charts should be displayed on one page and not require scrolling
• Charts should be displayed using the unit of measure defined in user preferences

One of the more effective techniques to display the progress of work is to use a Kanban board (Section
5.4, Figures 5.3, 6.3 and 6.4). A Kanban board contains columns or swimlanes that track the progress of
a work item from start to finish. An example Kanban from the PMBOK is shown below:
Your Kanban could include more swimlanes or have different references, but it should track a story from
start to finish.