User story

A short statement of user intent written from the user perspective with clear acceptance criteria.

When to use it

  • Breaking features into deliverable slices
  • Planning sprint work
  • Clarifying expected behavior

PM decision impact

Good user stories improve handoff quality and reduce rework.

How to do it in 2026

Use who, what, and why, then add acceptance criteria and edge cases.

Example

As a new user, I want to save my onboarding progress so I can continue later.

Common mistakes

  • Stories with no user value
  • No acceptance criteria
  • Stories too large for one sprint

Related terms

Learn it in CraftUp

Last updated: February 20, 2026