Use Cases or User Stories: Where Should Agile Teams Start?
One of the more contentious debates that seems to never be resolved is of keen interest to all agile practitioners: Should an agile team begin with requirements documented as use cases or user stories? Proponents from both sides of the debate make good arguments for their individual positions, leading to confusion for many who are just getting started with agile practices.
The Fundamental Problem
Some practitioners say that use cases are necessary for their project’s success, while others state that use cases are inefficient--a waste of time--and that user stories are a better way to document project requirements. The reason this debate continues on over the years is that they are both right.
Every project is unique. Certainly, projects can be grouped based on factors such as complexity, size, risk, industry and solution type; however, neither of these affects the use case versus user story decision. There must be some factor other than project characteristics driving the debate.
Use Cases
For those who are not familiar with the use case concept, here’s a quick overview. A use case is a way of documenting a business transaction or a process flow. It details the process steps, the people and systems involved in each step, the related business rules and the manner in which exceptions to the business rules are handled. A use case also establishes pre
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