invest-stands-for-in-scrum
INVEST is an acronym in Scrum and Agile methodologies that stands for Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, and Testable. It is a set of criteria developed by Bill Wake to help guide the creation of high-quality user stories.
Here’s what each part of the acronym means:
- Independent: The user story should be self-contained, in a way that there is no inherent dependency on another user story. This helps to prevent any complexities that could arise from the dependencies, as well as allowing it to be developed and delivered independently.
- Negotiable: User stories, up until they are part of an iteration, can always be changed and rewritten. They are not a contract, but a collaboration tool. This means the details of the work can be altered and renegotiated as more is learned.
- Valuable: A user story must deliver value to the end user. If a user story doesn’t provide value, it may not be worth including in the product.
- Estimable: You must always be able to estimate the size of a user story. If you can’t, it usually means you don’t understand enough about it and need to get more information or break it down further.
- Small: User stories should not be so big as to become impossible to plan/task/prioritize with a certain level of certainty. Ideally, user stories should be small enough to be coded and tested within a single iteration—meaning no more than a few days to a week of work for the team.
- Testable: The user story or its related description must provide the necessary information to make test development possible. A good user story can be tested in some way to confirm that it works as expected.
By following the INVEST guidelines, you can ensure that your user stories are well-defined and contribute effectively to the successful completion of their associated project goals.
