Introduction

User Stories are a generic term used in Agile software development methodology to describe a software feature from an end-user perspective, forming a simple requirement statement in a consistent manner.

User Stories, when created in Azure DevOps as Work Items, can be used for several purposes.  We are using them to capture what is required, so we can attach Test Cases to provide evidence that delivered functionality meets these requirements. Each User Story should define one scenario which occurs in the solution, using the following consistent format:

As a <user> I can <do something>, so that <something happens>

For example:

As a new starter, I am created in AD, so I can access email

Structure

To structure our User Stories, we use two approaches:

1. A hierarchy within Azure DevOps using Epics and Features.
2. Tags.

Hierarchy

An Epic is the topmost level Work Item in the Azure DevOps hierarchy.  An Epic typically comprises a large number of scenarios which in turn can be expanded into several Features.  For example, an Epic could be any of the following:

• HR System
• Contractor System
• Service Panel
• Installation

A Feature is a moderate number of scenarios, which in turn can be expanded into several User Stories.  For example, under the HR System Epic you might have the following Features:

• New Starters
• Movers
• Leavers
• Re-Hires

A User Story would be a single scenario. There is no right or wrong way to determine how much effort is involved in a User Story, and a common decision to make is whether to have a single User Story: 

• As a new starter, I have an account created in AD, so I can access email.

An alternative approach is to break this User Story into two separate User Stories.  For example, in a SoftwareIDM HyperSync context:

• As a new starter without a Hyperverse record, I have an object created in the Hyperverse, so I can be provisioned into downstream systems.
• As a new starter with a Hyperverse record, I have an account created in AD, so I can access email.

The first approach reduces the number of User Stories but increases the amount of information stored in the single User Story.  The second approach increases the amount of work to setup the environment but reduces the amount of information stored on each User Story, thereby maximizing granularity when it comes to Acceptance Criteria and Testing. 

If the solution is being setup before development has started, the second approach is better, as it allows the additional granularity, but if the solution has already been developed, then the first approach is better, as it allows testing to be undertaken more quickly.

Finally, a single User Story can then be assigned one or more Test Cases.

A Test Case is the most granular level in the DevOps hierarchy, and one or more of these are required to provide test coverage for a single User Story.

Tags

The second approach to structuring user stories is to use the Tags feature within Azure DevOps. Tags allow us to use queries to filter work, finding items related to each other more efficiently. They become more important when we are creating test cases, as the Test Suites can be query based.  For more information on tags, click here. Example of Tags could be:

• HR
• Contractor
• New Starter
• Leaver
• Manual
• Automated
• Regression

Importantly, tags are also used within Test Panel itself for Reporting on Test Coverage.

Instructions

The guide below goes through the process of creating an Epic, Feature, User Story, applying tags to the User Story and updating the description. Capturing Acceptance Criteria is covered in a separate article.

#	Step	Image
01	Log into Azure DevOps
02	Select Boards, and then Backlogs
03	To enable Epics, click the cog icon
03.1	Tick the Epic Checkbox, and click Save
03.2	Click on Stories, and change to Epic
03.3	Initially we cannot create our first Epic.  Instead click on New Work Item , enter the name of the Epic, and click Add to top. You can then move the Epics after they have been created.
03.4	The Epic will now appear on the Backlog
04	To add a Feature, hover over the Epic, and a + button will appear on the lefthand side of the Epic.
04.1	Click the + button to add a Feature
04.2	Enter a name, and click Save and Close
05	To add a User Story, hover over the Epic, and a + button will appear on the lefthand side of the Feature
05.1	Click the + button next to the Feature to add a User Story
05.2	Enter the name of the User Story
05.3	Under the title, click Add Tags. Add as many tags as required
05.4	In the Description field, enter high level overview of the scenario the User Story covers
05.5	Once all the details are populated, click Save and Close
06	Repeat this process, adding all the required User Stories as required.