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Full Glossary

Foundations

Agile Requirements
Lightweight, evolving expressions of need — captured just in time and detailed through conversation — rather than heavy upfront specifications.
User Story
A short description of functionality from the user's perspective: 'As a <role>, I want <goal> so that <benefit>.'
Stories vs. Requirements Documents
Stories are placeholders for a conversation and are refined collaboratively, unlike exhaustive documents written upfront.
Business Value Focus
Every story should deliver value to a user or customer, expressed in the 'so that' benefit clause.

Writing Stories

The 3 Cs
Card (the written story), Conversation (the discussion that clarifies details), and Confirmation (acceptance criteria).
Role-Goal-Benefit
The three parts of a story: who wants it, what they want, and why it matters.
INVEST
Good stories are Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, and Testable.
Personas
Research-based user archetypes that make the 'role' in stories concrete and grounded in real needs.
Avoiding Solutioning
Stories describe the need and outcome, leaving the how to the team, so options stay open.

Acceptance

Acceptance Criteria
Conditions that define when a story is complete and correct, removing ambiguity and guiding tests.
Given-When-Then
A structured format for acceptance criteria describing context, action, and expected outcome.
Definition of Done
A shared checklist of quality criteria that all work must satisfy to be considered complete.
Definition of Ready
Criteria a story must meet before the team commits to it, ensuring it is understood and sized.

Splitting

Story Splitting
Breaking a large story into smaller, valuable, testable slices that each fit in an iteration.
Vertical Slicing
Splitting so each story delivers thin, end-to-end value rather than a horizontal technical layer.
Splitting Patterns
Common patterns: workflow steps, business-rule variations, data variations, operations, and simple/complex paths.
Epic
A large story too big for one iteration that must be split into smaller stories before delivery.
Spike
A timeboxed research story used to reduce uncertainty before estimating or committing to risky work.

Estimation

Relative Estimation
Sizing stories by comparison using story points rather than absolute time.
Story Points
A relative measure combining effort, complexity, and uncertainty.
Planning Poker
A consensus estimation technique where members reveal estimates simultaneously and discuss differences.

Organizing

Story Mapping
Arranging stories along the user's journey to visualize the whole experience, find gaps, and plan releases.
Backlog Refinement
Ongoing detailing, estimating, and ordering so the top of the backlog is always ready.
Prioritization
Ordering stories by value, risk, and cost so the most important work is delivered first.
Non-Functional Requirements
Quality attributes and constraints (performance, security, usability) captured as criteria or constraints, not always as user stories.
Traceability
Linking stories to features, tests, and value so coverage and change impact stay clear.
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