Don’t Gamble on User Stories Alone, Specify by Example

Traditional requirements approaches don’t work, but user stories are not enough.

So, what does work? Testable examples (i.e. ATDD and BDD) aka Specification By Example. Testable examples, sometimes called executable specifications, provide a lightweight, objective description of a need. They serve as a common language across roles, from business to the development team, allowing us to understand and improve our business rules. As an added benefit they can even be used to automate acceptance level testing.

So, don’t gamble on your requirements, review this introductory primer on ATDD and BDD.

I had the privilege of co-presenting this introductory with David Bulkin session in Las Vegas at the recent Scrum Gathering.