Introduction
The role of a product manager often involves crafting user stories that guide the development team in creating features that deliver value to customers. A critical part of this process is ensuring that each user story is thoroughly prepared for execution before it enters the development cycle. This blog post will explore techniques for validating the completeness of a user story, with insights from the book ‘Decode and Conquer: Answers to Product Management Interviews.’ We will tackle the question: How do you know if the user story you created is ready for execution?
Detailed Guide on Framework Application
To ascertain the readiness of a user story, we will utilize the INVEST framework, which stands for Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, and Testable. Following is a step-by-step guide to applying this framework:
Independent: Assess whether the user story stands alone or if it depends on other stories. For execution, it’s preferable to have stories that do not have dependencies, avoiding bottlenecks.
Negotiable: Verify that the story encapsulates the essence of the feature but is not overly prescriptive, allowing the development team some flexibility.
Valuable: Ensure that the story delivers value to the end customer. It should be clear why this story is important.
Estimable: Confirm that the story provides enough information for the development team to estimate the effort required.
Small: Check if the story is sufficiently small to be completed in one iteration, but comprehensive enough to provide a valuable increment to the product.
Testable: The story must contain acceptance criteria that define what success looks like, enabling testers to verify that the story has been implemented correctly.
Let’s take a hypothetical example, where the user story is as follows: “As an online shopper, I want to filter products by color, so I can find items matching my preferences more easily.”
We can apply the INVEST framework to see if the story is ready for execution:
- Independent – This story does not inherently rely on other stories and can be developed on its own.
- Negotiable – While the end-goal is clear, the development team can decide how to implement the filter feature.
- Valuable – For a user looking to match items to an existing outfit or decor, color filtering is unequivocally valuable.
- Estimable – Developers can estimate the effort required to implement a filtering feature based on similar past work.
- Small – The story seems manageable in a single iteration and yet brings value to the overall user experience.
- Testable – Acceptance criteria can be set, such as “All major product categories can be filtered by at least five basic colors.”
To resonate with interviewers, it’s vital to draw upon facts and logical inferences. For example, using insights from user behavior studies can support the ‘valuable’ aspect of the story.
Effective communication tips during the interview:
- Be concise and articulate when walking through the framework.
- Provide justifications for each step citing user research or previous experience where applicable.
- Use a confident tone to convey authority on the subject matter, but be open to feedback indicating a willingness to collaborate.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the INVEST framework is an excellent tool for evaluating whether a user story is ready for execution. By assessing each criterion, product managers ensure that the development team has clear, actionable, and valuable work items. As you prepare for PM interviews at FAANG companies, practice applying this and similar frameworks to a variety of user stories to demonstrate your ability to translate customer needs into effective product features.