Where do I put user stories in my model?

[Kulagin]

I can't find a User Stories model, diagram or anything like that. I found user story element in Artifacts section of Use Cases toolbox:


but I don't feel like just putting user stories on top of my Use Cases diagrams.

How do you guys create and store User Stories in your models?

[Modesto Vega]

There is not a User Story model. User stories in EA are artifacts. Assuming that user stories are roughly equivalent to use cases, or result into use cases, or are the result of use cases i would create a use case model and locate your user story artifacts there.

[Kulagin]

Assuming that user stories...result into use cases... i would create a use case model and locate your user story artifacts there.

Create new use cases diagram and put user story artifacts there? It that how it's done in EA?

[Richard Freggi]

User stories are best expressed as documentation of use cases: use case tagged values are the easiest way to do this.
You won't be able to use EA unless you learn UML.  Several good books out there, and the Sparx documentation + white papers are not too bad either!

[Kulagin]

User stories are best expressed as documentation of use cases: use case tagged values are the easiest way to do this.

I tried creating tagged values for some use cases.

Is there a way to document user stories where they aren't dependent on use cases? When I gather user stories from future users of my future application I don't have any models yet, there aren't any use cases model yet. I am studying atm and I imagine I will create use cases model based on user stories, so only after I gathered all user stories and documented them, I will create use cases model.

At the moment I would like to have one place where I can list all my user stories. Like requirements diagram I imagine but for user stories.

You won't be able to use EA unless you learn UML.  Several good books out there, and the Sparx documentation + white papers are not too bad either!

Yes, I study UML and software development atm. The problem is that, for example, it says in the book "...gather user stories...", but it doesn't say what software to use. And it's probably good because it would be outdated in 2019, anyway.

And for user stories in EA, I can't find anything fitting. The problem with User Story artifact is that it doesn't show description of user stories on the diagram:


And doesn't show in the list view neither:


It only shows the name of the user story.
Is there a way to create custom element that would show description on the diagram and have appropriate column for description in the list view?

I have read Sparx documentation:
https://sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/14.0/guidebooks/tools_ba_user_story.html

And from what it looks, User Story artifact in EA doesn't do what a user story is supposed to do: it supposed to have title and description and should at the very least show the title and the description on the appropriate diagram, something like this:


That's how I would like my user stories documented. In one document, maybe in one package. Where I can view them in the diagram view, see title and description of them. And maybe switch to a list view, where there will be 2 columns: one for title, second for description. And filter them if I need it.

[Paolo F Cantoni]

Hi Kulagin,

Many elements allow you to surface their descriptive content onto the diagram.  Try using a different element type.  Start with a simple class in rectangle notation and surface the Notes using the [Ctrl+Shift+Y].

Use this process for any narrative that we want to surface.

HTH,
Paolo

[Modesto Vega]

Some of the screenshots posted by Kulagin look a bit too much like Jira.

User stories tend to be associated with Agile, but there are used in other development methods. They are a user an informal, natural language description of one or more features of a software system.

Please beware of informal, natural language descriptions of software systems. Software systems are anything but informal. Software systems are formal and rigid.

User stories are not substitute for formal modelling. Developing a complex software system without formal modelling may not be a good idea.

[steen.jensen]

User stories are not substitute for formal modelling. Developing a complex software system without formal modelling may not be a good idea.

User Stories is one of many tools to get right on track to make the formal model.

User Stories, Use Case, Functional & Non Functional Requirment is selected depending on who whants what and why in a specific time frame. Thats the fun job for us as Architects 

[Kulagin]

Hi Kulagin,

Many elements allow you to surface their descriptive content onto the diagram.  Try using a different element type.  Start with a simple class in rectangle notation and surface the Notes using the [Ctrl+Shift+Y].

Use this process for any narrative that we want to surface.

HTH,
Paolo

Thanks

That's what I was looking for.

I guess I will be using element Artifact for that for now:


I can't even open properties window in User Story element:
https://youtu.be/q-3xlcZm5ew

I'm going through HeadFirst Software Development book at the moment and I feel like most of the time I'm fighting against Enterprise Architect to do little things like adding a note to something and view it in the diagram, instead of actually learning Software Development. And it looks like that Enterprise Architect is the best there is, I haven't seen anything like Enterprise Architect, only UML diagram creator programs.

Some elements like elements have properties window, like Artifact element, some don't, like this User Story element. How do I make any sense out of it?

I've read User Story documents in the documentation and they didn't help at all. It looks like in EA User Story aren't doing what they're supposed to do at all.

[RoyC]

I'm not sure I am following your argument, but it seems to me you could get what you want using the Specification Manager to list the contents of the Package containing the User Story Artifacts. This would show each Artifact, the notes on each Artifact and (if you enable the Document column in the Field Chooser dialog) whether the Artifact has a linked document containing the text of the User Story. You would then click on the Document icon to open the linked document. You can also add columns for specific Tagged Values, which you can create to hold any any other annotation you want, and display that in the Specification Manager as well.

What release are you on? In Release 15.0 you can also open a type of Specification Manager for the elements in a diagram (containing your User Story Artifacts), which would show the notes for each element and, using the context menu on the element, open the linked document if the element has one. (Maybe in the Notes you could indicate that, although the full (Package) Specification Manager will indicate it separately anyway).

Are you looking for a prescriptive template to create a User Story from? There isn't one 'out of the box', but you can create one to meet your personal or corporate requirements and base your User Stories on that.

By the way, why can't you open the Properties Window (or Properties dialog?) on the Artifact? I can open both.

[Kulagin]

I'm not sure I am following your argument

I'm going through a book. Here's how user stories look in a book:


In Youtrack if I'm not mistaken:


Which, I would say, is very similar to what I read in a book.

And Enterprise Architect doesn't allow me to do just that: add cards with title, description, priority, estimate to complete. Not by default, anyway:


There just might be a way to do that but how would I know?It isn't in the documentation:
https://sparxsystems.com/enterprise_architect_user_guide/14.0/guidebooks/tools_ba_user_story.html

but it seems to me you could get what you want using the Specification Manager to list the contents of the Package containing the User Story Artifacts. This would show each Artifact, the notes on each Artifact and (if you enable the Document column in the Field Chooser dialog) whether the Artifact has a linked document containing the text of the User Story. You would then click on the Document icon to open the linked document. You can also add columns for specific Tagged Values, which you can create to hold any any other annotation you want, and display that in the Specification Manager as well.

What release are you on? In Release 15.0 you can also open a type of Specification Manager for the elements in a diagram (containing your User Story Artifacts), which would show the notes for each element and, using the context menu on the element, open the linked document if the element has one. (Maybe in the Notes you could indicate that, although the full (Package) Specification Manager will indicate it separately anyway).

Sorry, I'm not following that. You have a link to something I can read to understand? Or maybe a video?
I'm on 14th something version.

By the way, why can't you open the Properties Window (or Properties dialog?) on the Artifact? I can open both.

I can open properties window on the artifact element but not on the user story element.

  Are you looking for a prescriptive template to create a User Story from? There isn't one 'out of the box', but you can create one to meet your personal or corporate requirements and base your User Stories on that.

I already have a prescriptive template for a user story from a book. I would like to have it in Enterprise Architect but I don't know how to make it. Is there an article about it or a video, which would show how to create a template or new element, or something that would have everything I need: title, description, estimate, priority and would show in both: diagram and list views?

Can you please explain to me(in detail) how to actually turn this:


Into this:

[Kulagin]

I'm not sure I am following your argument, but it seems to me you could get what you want using the Specification Manager to list the contents of the Package containing the User Story Artifacts. This would show each Artifact, the notes on each Artifact and (if you enable the Document column in the Field Chooser dialog) whether the Artifact has a linked document containing the text of the User Story. You would then click on the Document icon to open the linked document. You can also add columns for specific Tagged Values, which you can create to hold any any other annotation you want, and display that in the Specification Manager as well.

Ok. From your guidelines I managed to make this:


Now I wonder how to make new element called something like ProperUserStory, add it to the toolbox, so I can drag and drop it into specification manager and it will have these 3 tagged values from the start: Description, Estimate, Priority. So I don't have to add 3 tagged values to every artifact I add or come up with hacks like having template item artifact in specification manager which I copy every time I want to create new user story.

Also it would make more sense to create new element and put Description, Estimate and Priority into requirements:

Why are they called requirements? These look much more like properties to me: status, difficulty, priority, etc.

Are you looking for a prescriptive template to create a User Story from? There isn't one 'out of the box', but you can create one to meet your personal or corporate requirements and base your User Stories on that.

So how do I create new element which meets my needs with Description, Estimate and Priority properties, which will show in specification manager and on the diagram?