Story Card Template

As I was setting up another new project in a tool I use, I reviewed the default template used for the story cards. Although I always only use parts of it depending on the project, I think it's good to review all of it each time to consider what the needs of the new project are, rather then be unthinking somewhat and stick with "what works" in a general sense. The template follows:

Story Card Description

The 2-3 sentence version of what the card is about

Business Context

Why is this valuable to the business? What is the goal?

Scope Exclusions

Call out anything that is explicitly not included in the card that could be inferred.

Prerequisites to Card Development

* Other story cards that need to be played first
* Data requirements

Detailed Story Narrative

Step by step description of the happy path scenario. Can be numbered or bulleted. Alternate flows can be captured in the acceptance criteria.

Validations

Include any special business rules or validations here.

Authorization

Include special security requirements here.

UI

Indicate what views are impacted by the card. If possible, include a reference to a low-fi prototype.

Additional Notes for Developer

Include any additional notes that you would like to include here to help the developer understand the context of the card.

Open Issues

Include any questions or open issues that we don’t know the answer to when writing the initial draft of the card. Often phrasing the issue as a question and following it up with the solution clearly labeled as the ‘Answer’ helps with readability.

Sample:

Should there be any restrictions based upon the party being a minor, a fatality or having legal representation?

Answer: No. At this point in time, the business has asked for this as a convenience feature that will always bring them directly to edit mode. Even when these scenarios occur today, the Contact Tab is filled out and the Contact Notes will indicate details about the contact (i.e. spoke with the parents of this party or the next of kin).

Acceptance Criteria

Things that the BA will verify during card signoff. Will be used as the starting point from which QA will expand when creating their test cases.

Scenario 1: Description of Scenario

1. Step 1 to demonstrate the criteria
   
2. Step 2 to demonstrate the criteria
   
3. Step 3 to demonstrate the criteria …