User Story Mapping: Discover the Whole Story, Build the Right Product

by Jeff Patton

The real tragedy here is that the person in the client role understands his problem better than he’s able to predict what will solve it. And the person who understands the technology is often the most qualified to solve the problem because she knows how the technology she’s working with can help. What’s more, most technologists honestly want to help. They want to know the things they’re building are put to good use. But, in the client-vendor anti-pattern, conversations about problems and solutions are replaced by discussions and agreements about requirements. No one wins. One of the goals of stories is to break this anti-pattern. One kind of relationship many of us have that does break this anti-pattern when it goes well is the one we have with our doctor. Try showing up at your doctor’s office and giving her your “requirements.” Tell her the prescriptions you’d like written and the operations you’d like scheduled. If she’s nice, she’ll smile and say, “That’s interesting; tell me where it hurts.”