User story mapping

User Story Mapping

Turns a vague goal, brief, or messy backlog into a sliced, prioritized delivery plan of per-persona user stories — the team's test playbook in skeletal form: every backbone activity becomes an E2E swimlane, every slice-1 story ≥1 Gherkin scenario (Steps 4a/4b). Runs as one re-entrant loop.

This file is the answer-first spine — the routing-and-contract layer. Read it once at invocation; load a step's reference only on reaching that step; never pre-read a reference or read one twice.

The loop

Each run discovers what exists, diffs it against the desired map, and materializes the delta in place. From scratch is the same loop with empty data sources — the diff is against nothing, so the delta is the whole map. No greenfield/brownfield branch; only the data differs, never the steps.

① DISCOVER → ② DIFF → ③ APPLY PREFERENCES → ④ SIMULATE → ⑤ INTERVIEW ──approved?──no──► back to ①
                                                                       │ yes
                                                                       ▼
                                          ⑥ BACKBONE → ⑦ GENERATE/UPDATE → ⑧ DERIVE + HAND OFF

Loop ↔ Step (table below): ①=Step 0, ②=Step 0/0.5, ③=Step 0 (saved prefs), ④=Step 0.3, ⑤=Step 0.4, ⑥=Step 1, ⑦=Steps 2–4b, ⑧=Steps 5–6.

1. Discover (Step 0) — scan data sources cheapest-first; the issue tracker (issues + taxonomy), .user-story-mapping/state.json, and any framework-owned design.md are first-class. The scan assembles the existing source.
2. Diff — existing (a reconciled snapshot, not a clean merge: tracker = status, code = evidence that can contradict → drift, storymap = intent, user overrides all) vs desired (the prior map amended/overridden by the user's new input — add / re-slice / pivot-remove). Classifies ADDED / UNCHANGED / MOVED / CUT / DONE + surfaced conflicts — conflicts become decisions in handoff.md, never silently resolved. Empty existing ⇒ all new. Coarse here, per-story at handoff. Owner: iterative-refinement-and-snapshots.md.
3. Apply preferences — method, slicing, terminology, tracker field-mapping from state.json; the user's words this conversation override saved state.
4. Simulate (Step 0.3) — when there are personas to model, run one in-character subagent per persona (full roster to each) to surface cross-persona interactions first (handoffs / dependencies) plus conflicts and unfillable gaps → first-pass ## Persona interactions map + conflict matrix in design.md. Conditional; trivial for a single specified persona.
5. Interview until approved (Step 0.4) — present the simulation findings + the diff, resolve blocking gaps/conflicts, loop to ① until the user approves. User wins over simulation; nothing to resolve ⇒ a fast confirm. No backbone work before approval.
6. Backbone (Step 1) — only after approval; carry a prior backbone forward, never silently re-derive.
7. Generate / update (Steps 2–4b) — materialize the diff's delta: per-persona stories, slices, prioritization, ACs, E2E. ∅ existing ⇒ author the whole map; a clean delta ⇒ update only it; ∅ diff ⇒ a snapshot, no regeneration. Idempotent; reuse the tracker's taxonomy.
8. Derive + hand off (Steps 5–6) — always create-or-update design.md + storymap.md + storymap.csv (the flat items+status list, derived from storymap.md); if design.md came from gstack/Superpowers, preserve its framework-owned sections and append/update only the story-map addendum (bottom line, context trace, persona interactions, decisions). The ranked-backlog views (backlog.md, backlog.csv) and visualization (storymap.mmd) are only when no tracker is defined; when a tracker is defined the opt-in write-back sets burn-down fields (points + sprint + status) instead. Persist state.json; emit a diff-style handoff.md.

"Tracker defined" (gates the local renderings, storymap.mmd, and the burn-down write-back): true when a tracker MCP is connected for this work, the user points the skill at a specific tracker/project, or state.json already holds a tracker block. Operational test (and why a passing mention of a tool used elsewhere doesn't count): output-routing.md.

Auto-trigger when a sister framework enters its Plan stage — Superpowers (between brainstorming and writing-plans, or while generating a plan), gstack (/office-hours, /autoplan, /plan-*-review, including /plan-dev-design-review), GSD (/gsd discuss, /gsd plan-milestone, authoring .gsd/Brief.md / Roadmap.md), or when a design doc exists and the plan is being adjusted. Signal: "the user is shaping work, not coding it" — propose this skill rather than hand-drafting stories. Detail: framework-integration.md.

When to use

Use when the user is shaping work: a vague problem with no plan, an unnavigable backlog, MVP scoping, PI planning, "what should we build first", "stories per persona". Skip pure engineering — bug fixes, refactors, code review, deploy debugging, "explain this code."

What it produces

• Always: design.md (created if absent; if supplied by gstack/Superpowers, augmented in place without clobbering framework-owned sections), storymap.md (the authored narrative — the source the parser/import reads), and storymap.csv (the flat list of every item with its status — id / activity / task / story / persona / outcome / slice / status / status_evidence; a deterministic projection of storymap.md via the bundled parser, a checked-in snapshot regardless of where the dynamic plan lives).
• Only when no tracker is defined: storymap.mmd, backlog.md, backlog.csv — the visualization and ranked-backlog views, redundant once a tracker is the system of record. (Canonical statement of the rule; the steps table and derived-file commands just reference it.)
• When a tracker is defined: instead of those files, the opt-in tracker write-back sets each item's burn-down fields — story-points/estimate + sprint/iteration + status — so the tracker's native burn-down works; the ranked "start here" essence moves into handoff.md. Mechanics: work-item-tracking.md.
• Optional: role-hints.md (Step 2.5), slice-1-acceptance-criteria.md (4a), e2e-test-contract.md (4b), tracker-status-update.<ext> (Step 6 write-back), handoff.md.
• State: .user-story-mapping/state.json — saved preferences + the tracker config block (on by default; cross-session Memory MCP is an opt-in second backend — see persistent-knowledge.md).

Templates and column schemas live in assets/ — use them, don't hand-roll. The story-map → ACs → E2E-contract chain is deliberate: one test playbook at three levels of refinement, not a one-shot spec.

Rules that govern every run

1. User-input-authoritative. What the actual user told you this conversation always wins; lower sources fill gaps, never override. Priority (high→low): (1) the user, (2) interview verbatim, (3) approved memory, (4) mined context, (5) simulated persona, (6) inference. Tag every fact in design.md with its source — [user-stated] [interview: <name>] [memory: <date>] [code: <path>] [tracker: <id>] [skill: <name>] [simulated: <name>] [inferred]. This priority order and tag vocabulary are defined here once; references cross-link, never re-list. Wrong: simulated-Compliance argues for RBAC, you add it over the user's explicit "no RBAC in PI 1." Right: log the objection as a future-slice risk; the user's stance ships.
2. Slice 1 covers every backbone activity — and every persona. The first slice includes ≥1 story from every active backbone activity (what makes a map a map, not a backlog) and ≥1 story per persona named in design.md. A gap means re-slice (Step 3) or re-derive (Step 1) — never a silent drop. Mechanics + violations: slicing-strategies.md.
3. Answer-first artifacts. design.md / backlog.md / handoff.md each open with a ## Bottom line — the answer, then the arguments, then the evidence (Pyramid Principle). Detail: answer-first-writing.md.
4. Cross-cutting work isn't backbone. Tech debt, infra, localization, theming, observability, compliance go in a ## Non-backbone / cross-cutting section — prioritized in backlog.csv, excluded from slice-1 coverage. The "can you write 'As a <user>…' tied to one backbone column?" test and the ### Theme: encoding: backbone-criteria.md.
5. Guardrails — hitting one means stop and re-scope, not "try" to honor: ≤50 stories total, slice-1 ≤15; backbone 5–7 activities (hard max 10); context loop ≤20 tool calls and <15% budget; ~200K total budget with an 80% turn-budget stop (write what you have, defer the rest in handoff.md); skill-chaining ≤1 sister-framework + ≤3 domain-advisor per run; use the bundled scripts for derived files; Glob/Grep before Read; batch independent tool calls.

Quick reference — route the ask to a reference

If the user…	Load
Has only a verbal idea, no PRD/code/backlog	discovery-questions.md
Pastes raw interview notes / call transcripts	customer-interview-synthesis.md
Has a codebase + .gsd/ or prior design.md	context-collection.md — mine first, don't re-ask
Says "extend my prior storymap" / "what changed since last PI"	iterative-refinement-and-snapshots.md
Has shipped stories, or a tracker that's drifted	progress-reconciliation.md (Step 0.5)
Has conflicting stakeholders, or ≥3 personas (simulate cross-persona interactions before the interview)	persona-simulation-and-gap-filling.md + decomposition-and-stories.md
Wants role hints (UX/architect) or flow advice	role-hints-and-flow-advice.md (Step 2.5)
Asks "what to build first" / names WSJF/RICE/MoSCoW	slicing-strategies.md + prioritization-frameworks.md
Has OKRs/KRs, or story dependencies	okr-alignment.md / dependency-tracking.md
Wants ACs / E2E scenarios	acceptance-criteria.md + e2e-verification-and-contract.md
Wants stories pushed somewhere	output-routing.md, then work-item-tracking.md
Working inside Superpowers / gstack / GSD	framework-integration.md

The steps

Load the reference when you reach the step. Budgets are % of the run; Steps 0.3 (simulate) and 0.5 (reconcile) are trivial/no-ops when there are no personas to model or no prior state.

Step	Purpose	Output	Budget	Reference
0 Discover	Hypothesis-driven mining of cheap→conditional sources; the scan IS the diff-baseline + tracker-defined determination	## Context loop trace + ## Contradictions flagged in design.md	<15%	context-collection.md
0.3 Simulate	One in-character subagent per persona (full roster); surface cross-persona interactions + conflicts + gaps; conditional (≥2 personas)	## Persona interactions + conflict matrix + gap inventory in design.md	10-15%	persona-simulation-and-gap-filling.md
0.4 Interview→approval	Present simulation findings + the diff; classify gaps; gate on blocking; loop until approved	gap resolutions + decisions log	5-10%	persona-simulation-and-gap-filling.md
0.5 Reconcile	Status map from tracker ⊕ code ⊕ prior storymap; graduations; drift; opt-in write-back	## Implementation status + [status: …] tags	5-10%	progress-reconciliation.md
1 Backbone	Left-to-right activities in user voice; six declared criteria; cross-cutting separate	storymap.md backbone	5-10%	backbone-criteria.md
2 Decompose	Tasks → per-persona stories; mandatory per-persona coverage; parallel Agent sweep when ≥3 personas; interaction map	storymap.md body	15-20%	decomposition-and-stories.md
2.5 Role hints	role-hints.md (UX + architect) + flow-advisor skill chaining	role-hints.md	10-15%	role-hints-and-flow-advice.md
3 Slice	Patton / PI / Now-Next-Later; slice 1 covers every backbone activity; slice onto existing fix-versions when a tracker is defined	slice tags	5%	slicing-strategies.md
4 Prioritize	WSJF/RICE/MoSCoW + OKR linkage + dependency feasibility; reuse existing tracker score fields	backlog.csv + backlog.md (no tracker) · tracker points/iteration fields (tracker)	15-20%	prioritization-frameworks.md, okr-alignment.md, dependency-tracking.md
4a ACs	Given/When/Then for slice-1 + INVEST	slice-1-acceptance-criteria.md	10-15%	acceptance-criteria.md
4b E2E contract	Coverage matrix + E2E-HAPPY + per-activity scenarios — the test playbook	e2e-test-contract.md	5-10%	e2e-verification-and-contract.md
5 Derive	storymap.csv (always — the flat items+status list) + storymap.mmd (only when no tracker) via the bundled scripts	derived files	<2%	scripts in scripts/
6 Hand off	Answer-first handoff.md; route items; persist state.json; opt-in write-back — sets tracker burn-down fields (points + sprint + status) when a tracker is defined	handoff.md (+ tracker write-back)	5%	output-routing.md, work-item-tracking.md, answer-first-writing.md, persistent-knowledge.md

Glossary for first-use jargon in the table: Walking skeleton — a slice that demos every backbone activity end-to-end, even if every step is minimal. PI — SAFe Program Increment, typically 8–12 weeks. WSJF — Weighted Shortest Job First (cost-of-delay ÷ job-size; SAFe default). RICE — Reach × Impact × Confidence ÷ Effort. MoSCoW — Must / Should / Could / Won't. INVEST — Independent / Negotiable / Valuable / Estimable / Small / Testable.

Derived-file commands (Step 5):

# Always — the flat items+status list (a deterministic projection of storymap.md):
python scripts/storymap_to_csv.py storymap.md > storymap.csv

# Only when no tracker is defined (with a tracker, push burn-down fields instead — see work-item-tracking.md):
python scripts/storymap_to_mermaid.py storymap.md > storymap.mmd

A good run

Backbone reads aloud as a coherent user story · slice 1 is demoable end-to-end · every story has a persona + outcome · priorities carry reasoning, not just numbers · design.md states the question being answered and every fact is source-tagged · narrative artifacts are answer-first.

Avoid: system-shaped backbones (Login / Database / API), one giant slice called "MVP", skipping design.md, letting simulated personas override the user, hand-writing CSV/Mermaid when the scripts exist, generating 80+ stories then running out of turns.

References (load on demand, don't pre-read)

File	When to read
discovery-questions.md	Sparse/empty input — drive discovery via batched questions
customer-interview-synthesis.md	Raw interview notes / call transcripts in the input
context-collection.md	Step 0 — what to mine from each source; the diff-baseline determination
persona-simulation-and-gap-filling.md	Step 0.3/0.4 — pre-interview persona simulation (cross-persona interactions + conflicts) + the gap gate
persistent-knowledge.md	Step 0 / Step 6 — memory + the saved tracker config across runs
iterative-refinement-and-snapshots.md	The diff (existing vs desired) + the loop on a non-empty baseline — extend, breach-detect, per-stage matrix
progress-reconciliation.md	Step 0.5 — storymap ↔ tracker status ↔ code sync
backbone-criteria.md	Step 1 — six-criteria options, cross-cutting rule, anti-patterns
decomposition-and-stories.md	Step 2 — tasks → per-persona stories, coverage, parallel sweep, interactions
role-hints-and-flow-advice.md	Step 2.5 — UX/architect hints, flow-advisor chaining
slicing-strategies.md	Step 3 — Patton vs PI vs Now/Next/Later; the slice-1 unbreakable rule
prioritization-frameworks.md	Step 4 — WSJF/RICE/MoSCoW rubrics
dependency-tracking.md	Step 4 — depends_on, cycle detection, cross-persona handoffs
okr-alignment.md	Step 4 — OKR column, coverage matrix
acceptance-criteria.md	Step 4a — Given/When/Then + INVEST
e2e-verification-and-contract.md	Step 4b — backbone-as-E2E-contract
output-routing.md	Step 6 — diff-baseline / tracker-defined routing decision
work-item-tracking.md	Step 6 — per-tool import, aligning to an existing tracker's taxonomy, enabling the tracker burn-down
framework-integration.md	Superpowers/gstack/GSD plan-stage auto-trigger + handoff
answer-first-writing.md	Writing design.md/backlog.md/handoff.md answer-first (Pyramid Principle)