User Story Creation
Break Product Backlog Items into implementable user stories using vertical slicing and SPIDR patterns.
MUST READ References
IMPORTANT: You MUST read these reference files for complete protocol. Do NOT skip.
- MUST READ
.claude/skills/shared/team-frameworks.md— INVEST, SPIDR, MoSCoW frameworks - MUST READ
.claude/skills/shared/bdd-gherkin-templates.md— BDD/Gherkin scenario templates - MUST READ
.claude/skills/shared/module-detection-keywords.md— module detection keywords - MUST READ
references/story-patterns.md— scenarios, templates, anti-patterns
Pre-Workflow
- Activate
business-analystskill for domain context and requirements analysis
When to Use
- PBI ready for story breakdown
- Feature needs vertical slicing
- Creating sprint-ready work items
- Story too large (effort >8)
Workflow
- Read PBI artifact and acceptance criteria
- Load domain context if module detected (see
references/story-patterns.md) - Identify vertical slices (end-to-end functionality)
- Apply SPIDR splitting if stories too large (see shared frameworks)
- Apply INVEST criteria to each story (see shared frameworks)
- Create user stories with GIVEN/WHEN/THEN (min 3 scenarios)
- Save to
team-artifacts/pbis/stories/ - Validate stories (MANDATORY) - Interview user
- Suggest next:
/team-test-specor/team-design-spec
Output
- Path:
team-artifacts/pbis/stories/{YYMMDD}-us-{pbi-slug}.md - Format: Single file with all stories (use ## headers per story)
Story Format
## Story N: {Title}
**As a** {user role}
**I want** {goal}
**So that** {benefit}
### Acceptance Criteria (min 3 scenarios: happy, edge, error)
```gherkin
Scenario: {Title}
Given {context}
When {action}
Then {outcome}
## Quality Checklist
- [ ] Each story follows "As a... I want... So that..." format
- [ ] SPIDR splitting applied (effort <= 8, prefer <= 5)
- [ ] At least 3 scenarios per story: happy, edge, error
- [ ] All scenarios use GIVEN/WHEN/THEN format
- [ ] Effort estimated in Fibonacci (1, 2, 3, 5, 8)
- [ ] Stories independent (can develop in any order)
- [ ] Out of scope explicitly listed
- [ ] Dependencies identified (upstream/downstream)
- [ ] Domain vocabulary used correctly (if applicable)
- [ ] Validation interview completed (MANDATORY)
## Related
| Type | Reference |
| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Role Skill** | `business-analyst` |
| **Input** | `/team-refine` output (PBI) |
| **Next Steps** | `/team-test-spec`, `/team-design-spec`, `/team-prioritize` |
## Triggers
Activates on: story, user story, user stories, slice, slicing, split story, breakdown
## IMPORTANT Task Planning Notes
- Always plan and break many small todo tasks
- Always add a final review todo task to review the works done at the end to find any fix or enhancement needed