Enabler Stories
Enabler Stories are a type of Agile story that doesn't directly touch any end-users. Rather, they support the development of User Stories by establishing the groundwork for future User Stories. They are expressed in technical language and focus on supporting the development of the architecture or infrastructure needed to implement User Stories.
There are four types of Enabler Stories:
Infrastructure Enabler Stories focus on building development and testing frameworks that enable a faster and more efficient development process. This includes tasks such as setting up continuous integration and deployment pipelines, creating testing environments, and automating repetitive tasks.
Architecture Enabler Stories focus on building the Architectural Runway. This is the foundation upon which future User Stories will be built. The Architectural Runway includes things like creating reusable components, establishing coding standards, and creating scalable and flexible architecture.
Exploration Enabler Stories involve building an understanding of what is needed by the customer to understand prospective solutions and evaluate alternatives. This includes tasks such as researching new technologies, interviewing users, and analyzing market trends.
Compliance Enabler Stories facilitate specific activities such as verification and validation, documentation, sign-offs, regulatory submissions, and approvals to ensure adherence to relevant regulations and standards.
It's important to note that Enabler Stories are expressed in technical language, rather than user-centric language. They support the development of the architecture or infrastructure necessary to implement User Stories. Enabler Stories are vital for the success of a project because they establish the foundation upon which the User Stories will be built.
Here are a couple Enabler Story examples:
Architecture: As an architect, I want to add a component/software to the process flow that allows data collection for customer behavior.
Exploration: As a team, we'll do a spike/analysis to understand how we can improve the flow of our User Stories as they move through the iteration.
💡By focusing on Enabler Stories in addition to User Stories, Agile teams can ensure that they are delivering value to end-users while also laying the foundation for future development. Do your teams use the enabler stories for development work?
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