A brief overview of the concept of personas, storymaps and answering a key question of when can I get my Minimum Viable Product

1. Mapping your Minimal Viable
Product through StoryMaps
Mark Kilby
July 22, 2014
Agile Orlando &
Lean Startup Practitioners of Central Florida

2. Mark Kilby
Agile Coach
Mark@markkilby.com
@mkilby– twitter
http://markkilby.com
Linkedin.com/in/mkilby
AgileOrlando.com
(founder)
Lean Coffee Orlando
(founder)
speaker
Software since 1990;
Coaching since 2003

3. 3 QUESTIONS FOR YOU…
#1 HOW MANY ARE
INVOLVED IN A STARTUP
TODAY?
(OR AN AGILE PROJECT)?

4. 3 QUESTIONS FOR YOU…
#2 HOW MANY OF YOU
HAVE IDENTIFIED
YOUR KEY USERS?

5. Does your product look
like this to potential
customers?

8. How do we determine what is
the absolute minimum to build
so we can release the product
and generate revenue?

9. Our Goal
• Deep Dive
– Personas and Storymaps
• As time permits:
– Sizing Storymaps to answer “when”
– Real Options: another way to prioritize

10. Story Mapping
• An approach to organize and prioritize
user stories (?)
• A tool to help in defining a roadmap
• A way to define your Minimum Viable Product
(MVP) (?) for the next release

11. How does story mapping help?
• Provides visibility of the workflow across the
system
• Shows how different users/roles will be served
• Points out relationships between stories
• Helps to spotlight missing stories
• Provides a prioritization mechanism
• Release planning is improved by focusing on
valuable slices

12. Story Mapping - Preparation
• Understand the users/roles using the system
• The major activities performed by the users of
the system
• Arrange activities in the order they are
performed
• Define stories required to complete activities

13. Understand Users and Roles
As a user, I want XYZ
so that I can (get
some value)
Goal 1
Goal 2
Goal 3
Epic – big user story
Role: Admin

14. Understand Users and Roles
As a user, I want XYZ
so that I can (get
some value)
Goal 1
Goal 2
Goal 3
Epic – big user story
Role: Admin
VAGUE
Somewha
t better

15. Pragmatic Personas
Personas – fictional
character representing the
market segment we want to
address
Helps us empathize with
our users
Even
better …

16. Why should I care? EMPATHY
From http://copywritercollective.com/howtobeacopywriter/abcs-of-copywriting-empathy/

17. EXAMPLE?

18. Story Mapping - Preparation
• Understand the users/roles using the system
• The major activities performed by the users of
the system
• Arrange activities in the order they are
performed
• Define stories required to complete activities
Back to
…

19. Story Maps visualize the scope
Activity 1
User’s Sequence in Time
Activity 2 Activity 3 Activity 4
User Story User Story User Story User Story
User Story User Story User Story User Story
User Story User Story User Story User Story
User Story User Story User Story User Story
Functional
activities the
user
performs,
while using
the product
Capabilities
needed in
the product,
so the user
can perform
the activities
• Story Maps organize product capabilities by user activity
• Story Maps communicate the “big picture” to delivery teams
Courtesy of LeadingAgile.com

20. Story Maps visualize the scope
Activity 1
User’s Sequence in Time
Activity 2 Activity 3 Activity 4
User Story User Story User Story User Story
User Story User Story User Story User Story
User Story User Story User Story User Story
User Story User Story User Story User Story
WHAT
YOUR
USERS
NEED
(not what
they ask for)
ELEMENTS
YOUR TEAM
CAN BUILD
• Story Maps organize product capabilities by user activity
• Story Maps communicate the “big picture” to delivery teams

21. EXAMPLE?

22. Story Maps work with roles/personas
Activity 1
User’s Sequence in Time
Activity 2 Activity 3 Activity 4
User Story User Story User Story User Story
User Story User Story User Story User Story
User Story User Story User Story User Story
User Story User Story User Story User Story
• Walk each persona through the user sequence
• Discover gaps in the user stories & how they support the user
activities
Guest
Reg. User
Power User
Courtesy of LeadingAgile.com

23. Minimum Marketable Feature (MMF)
Activity 1
User’s Sequence in Time
Activity 2 Activity 3 Activity 4
User Story User Story User Story User Story
User Story
User Story User Story User StoryUser Story
User Story User Story User Story
User Story User Story User Story User Story
These two stories represent the MMF for Activity 1. The others would be
nice, but this is the minimum.
MMF a
Adapted from LeadingAgile.com

24. Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
Activity 1
User’s Sequence in Time
Activity 2 Activity 3 Activity 4
User Story User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
User StoryUser Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story User Story
User Story
User Story
The MVP might consist of these two MMFs, which are needed for the
product to be “just barely sufficient”
MMF a MMF b
Adapted from LeadingAgile.com

25. Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
Activity 1
User’s Sequence in Time
Activity 2 Activity 3 Activity 4
User Story User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
User StoryUser Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story User Story
User Story
User Story
The MVP (with these two MMFs) will address some of the needs of Guest
and Reg. User and a little of Power User -> “just barely sufficient”?
Will they buy it?
MMF a MMF b
Guest
Reg. User
Power User

26. AND THEN YOUR STAKEHOLDERS
ASK …
WHEN CAN WE
HAVE IT?

27. THEN YOU ASK YOUR TEAM…
WHEN CAN WE
HAVE IT?

28. Story Map Example
Goals or
Product Areas
Specific Actions
Higher Priority
User Stories
(next release)
Lower Priority
User Stories
(future releases)
Courtesy of LeadingAgile.com

29. From http://winnipegagilist.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-to-create-user-story-map.html

30. Team Estimation Game
(aka “Bucketing”)
• Create a “deck of cards” from your user stories
• Have the team pick a “simple story” first
(more later)
Created by:
Steve Bockman

31. S L
Bucketed Relative Sizing

32. S L
Bucketed Relative Sizing

33. Team Estimation Game
(aka “Bucketing”)
• Create a “deck of cards” from your user stories
• Have the team pick a “simple story” first
• (taking turns) Pick next card and place it relative to
the first based on size/complexity. Explain.
• For each move thereafter,
– Pick the next card and place it,
– Move a card that’s already been placed, or
– Pass.
– Explain your move (1-2 sentences) and let the team discuss.
• Continue until there are no more moves to be made.
• Collect into stacks if not already stacked.
• Assign points (sizes/estimates) to each stack.
Created by:
Steve Bockman

34. S L
Bucketed Relative Sizing
1 3 5 8 13

35. Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
Activity 1
User’s Sequence in Time
Activity 2 Activity 3 Activity 4
User Story User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
User StoryUser Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story User Story
User Story
User Story
If our team does can complete “10 points” of work every 2 weeks, when
can we be done with the MVP?
MMF a MMF b
Adapted from LeadingAgile.com

36. Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
Activity 1
User’s Sequence in Time
Activity 2 Activity 3 Activity 4
User Story User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
User StoryUser Story
User Story
User Story
User Story
User Story User Story
User Story
User Story
If our team does can complete “10 points” of work every 2 weeks, when
can we be done with the MVP? -> (18+16)/10 ~ 4 iterations or 2 months
MMF a MMF b

37. Summary: Preparing Story Maps
1. Gather 3-5 people who understand purpose of the product
(should include product marketing, product management, engineering and
any key subject matter experts)
2. Brainstorm the user tasks (1 task per sticky note)
3. Group similar tasks together & label each group
(these are “user activities”)
4. Arrange groups/activities left-to-right in order users would go through
system
5. Walk the map to see what’s missing. Can either walk real users through
the map or “walk a persona/role” through using a user scenario/journey
6. Generate user stories under the tasks
7. Move stories up and down in map. Highest priority go near top

38. Summary: Using Story Maps to plan
WHEN your MVP can ship
1. Draw lines through your map showing “releases” of
MMFs and MVPs
(Optional: show which roles/personas will be served)
2. With key engineers, size stories in next release to get
a sense of risk or where slicing may be needed
3. Determine velocity of development team
4. Optional: Use Real Options to determine what might
need to be pushed to next release or brought in earlier

39. What are Real Options?
(briefly)
• 3 Concepts:
– Options have Value
– Options expire
– Never commit early unless you know why
(commit at “last responsible moment”)
• How do you measure the
Last Responsible Moment (LRM)?
– LRM reached when 0 = Cost of Delay – Benefit of Delay

40. For more info
(Personas)
• Jeff Patton - http://www.stickyminds.com/article/pragmatic-personas
• Roman Pichler’ Template - http://www.romanpichler.com/blog/persona-
template-for-agile-product-management/
• UX perspective on Personas:
http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2064754/Roles-vs.-Personas-vs.-
Cognitive-Styles
• David Hussman’s videos on Pragmatic Personas (1hr) –
https://vimeo.com/70214000

41. For more info
(Storymaps)
• Jeff Patton’s original writings on storymaps (2009-2010)
• Jeff Patton’s upcoming book on Storymapping
• David Hussman’s videos on Storymaps
• Storymapping session at Agile Open Florida (June 27, 2014)
• http://winnipegagilist.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-to-create-user-story-
map.html
• http://www.cio.com/article/750968/How_Story_Mapping_Complements_Agil
e_Development?page=1&taxonomyId=3040
• http://blog.caplin.com/2012/02/07/issues-with-story-maps-story-maps-part-
2/

42. For more info
(Real Options & Planning Game)
• Real Options
– http://www.leadingagile.com/2008/07/understanding-real-options/
– http://availagility.co.uk/2010/04/06/defining-the-last-responsible-moment/
• Team Estimation Game
– http://www.agilelearninglabs.com/2012/05/how-to-play-the-team-estimation-game/

43. Mark Kilby
Agile Coach
Mark@markkilby.com
@mkilby– twitter
Linkedin.com/in/mkilby
http://markkilby.com
http://about.me/mckilby
Learn more at AgileOrlando.com
THANKS!
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