Filling Out The Backlog

Whew! You’ve done quite a bit so far, but the project backlog is still looking a bit sparse.

Follow the previous instructions and create the remaining three user stories for the first epic. (Hint: use the “Create” button at the top of the page.) Don’t forget to associate the stories to the epic. To refresh your memory, here are the remaining three user stories to create, plus suggested subtasks for a couple of the stories as well.

  • As a mythical creature feeder, I want the garden to contain an apple tree, so that our unicorns can enjoy a treat.

    • Fetch apple tree from nursery
    • Plant apple tree
  • As a courtyard viewer, I want the garden to have mythical flowers, so that the garden reflects the magical nature of our organization.

  • As a garden caretaker, I want the plants to be properly watered, so that the plants will grow healthy.

    • Replace sprinkler heads

After creating all the user stories, the project backlog should look as shown below. Don’t worry if the sequence numbers on the story unique keys are not identical to those below.

Project_backlog_all_stories

Your team now has an initial backlog of stories for the Courtyard Improvement project. This is enough for your team to get started.

In practice, you should resist the urge to create too many user stories for the backlog. One of the advantages of the Agile development approach is that it can accommodate changes in requirements over time. Pre-defining too many stories up front will often lead to stagnant stories that become obsolete or keep getting bumped down in priority by more important stories added later.