Task: Capture Confirmations |
This task describes how to capture the results of conversations with stakeholders about the details of each user story.
Disciplines: Requirements
Purpose
To better understand the details of each user story so that software development begins and so that there is a clear definition of the completeness of each user story.
Relationships
Roles | Primary Performer: Analyst | Additional Performers: Architect Developer Stakeholder Tester
Inputs | Mandatory: User Story | Optional: None
Outputs | Glossary User Story
Main Description
During the conversations with stakeholders, the team identifies and captures what makes each user story complete, such as these examples: Unexpected behaviors Exceptions and error conditions Different types of users that might exist Data that needs to be in place These conditions, also called story confirmations, help the team create test cases to be conducted so that they can later evaluate whether the user story is complete and accepted by stakeholders. Detailing user stories does not imply that all user stories will be detailed before commencing implementation on them. The level of detail captured will vary, depending upon the needs of the project and the complexity of the user story. Nonfunctional requirements (such as expected performance, availability, adherence to standards), as well as business rules that apply to a specific user story, are also captured as story confirmations for that user story.
Steps
Identify information exchanged
Discuss with stakeholders to what information is needed by the user story. If information will be exchanged between the user and the system, be specific about what is passed back and forth, and capture it on the user story card. Collaborate with stakeholders to ensure that you define newly discovered domain terms or ambiguous terms properly in the glossary. If your understanding of the domain has improved, refine existing glossary terms.
Identify and capture system-wide requirements
System-wide requirements specify constraints on the solution, such as usability, reliability, performance, supportability, interfaces with legacy systems and so forth. Depending upon the domain, there may be regulatory requirements that apply, too. Collaborate with stakeholders to identify and capture the relevant system-wide requirements for each user story and across many user stories. This helps the team and stakeholders assess the completeness of your user stories. See Handling Nonfunctional Requirements for more information.
Identify and capture alternative story behavior
Identify and capture those conditions that - if satisfied - guarantee that the user story has been successfully implemented. Derive test cases from these conditions order to assess user acceptance of the user story. These conditions are typically the following: alternative usage scenarios, error conditions, and exceptional behaviors.
More Information
Concepts | System-Wide Requirements
Tool Mentors | Managing User Stories with IBM Rational Team Concert
© Copyright IBM Corp. 1987, 2009. All Rights Reserved.