🚀 Agile 101: Understanding User Stories, Features, and Epics

If you’re working in Agile, understanding the hierarchy of work is essential. Here’s a quick breakdown:

🔹 User Story The smallest unit of work — a task described from the user’s point of view.

📌 Format:

As a [user], I want to [do something], so that [goal].

✅ Focus: A specific action or task ✅ Example: As a shopper, I want to add items to my cart so that I can buy them later.

🔸 Feature A collection of related user stories that deliver a specific functionality.

✅ Focus: A complete product function ✅ Example: Shopping Cart Feature • Add to cart • Update quantity • Remove items • View cart summary

🔷 Epic A large body of work that can be split into features and stories — often aligned to a big business goal.

✅ Focus: Strategic or high-level initiative ✅ Example: Enable Online Ordering • Product Catalog (feature) • Shopping Cart (feature) • Checkout & Payment (feature)

🧠 Hierarchy Recap:

Epic ➝ Features ➝ User Stories

Each level helps Agile teams manage complexity while staying user-focused. Breaking big goals into smaller stories allows faster delivery, testing, and feedback.

Have you worked with this hierarchy in your team? How do you prioritize across levels?

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