“I Don’t Understand!”: Toward a Model to Evaluate the Role of User Story Quality

Abstract

User stories are popular for conveying requirements in agile software projects. Despite existing quality criteria, authors make formal mistakes that result in “bad” user story quality. If developers have insufficient experience in balancing quality problems, the creation of a shared mental model is impossible, thus increasing the risk of impacts on the project’s success. This article provides a work-in-progress research model to set these variables in relation and establish a systematic method to uncover answers regarding their correlation. Details on the effects support research in agile requirements engineering to gain a better understanding of cognitive processes in the comprehension of user stories. In addition, insights can help to develop design recommendations and AI tools to improve user stories. A first evaluation of the model provides promising insights into the behavior and forms a basis for future research. Keywords Agile software development User story quality Developer experience Shared mental model Project success