User Stories Applied: For Agile Software Development

Arranged like a textbook with questions answered in an appendix, this includes a historical arc of Agile from the innovations of Extreme Programming (XP). The User Story focus is weighted toward the physical collateral (index cards, etc.) and face-to-face collaboration on development, including thought-provoking, imaginative peronae writing. This is a very good, gentle introduction to the technique.

This short book promises to explain what User Stories are, what they aren't, how to create and utilize them within an Agile/XP approach, and finally how to bring everything together in a short, yet relatively realistic case study. It delivers exactly what it promises and the exercises at the end of the chapters, although not always very well crafted, help the reader to capture the essence of each chapter, as well as focus on the pitfalls. It is not repetitive and does not try to be everything for every type of software developer, and that I consider another positive point.

No matter what methodology you use, software development is a challenging task, and even if your favorite method is Agile or a variation of it, you'll need hard earned show more experience and probably more than just one book, but if I had to recommend only one introductory book to someone who wants to get the essence of creating User Stories to capture most of the aspects of end user software, then this book would be it. show less

Clear, readable, quick-moving yet substantive, this book combines a thorough introduction into the concept and uses of user stories, with insights into their strengths relative to similar or confusing tools like "use cases."

An easy read with practical suggestions.

Good book about new processes we can use to create software for end users.

Selected e-content from Google Books: https://goo.gl/WFyr2A
Review from World Cat:
"Offers a requirements process that saves time, eliminates rework, and leads directly to better software. A great way to build software that meets users' needs is to begin with 'user stories': simple, clear, brief descriptions of functionality that will be valuable to real users. ... [the author] provides you with a front-to-back blueprint for writing these user stories and weaving them into your development lifecycle. You'll learn what makes a great user story, and what makes a bad one. You'll discover practical ways to gather user stories, even when you can't speak with your users. Then, once you've compiled your user stories, [the author] shows how to show more organize them, prioritize them, and use them for planning, management, and testing"--Back cover. show less