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User Story Smells And Prioritization Pitfalls
Purpose: Use this file when stories, backlog slices, or MoSCoW priorities look weak or inflated.
Contents
USS-01..09MP-01..05- Backlog anti-patterns
- Scribe quality gates
User Story Smells
| ID |
Smell |
Failure mode |
Guardrail |
USS-01 |
everything must be a story |
technical work is forced into the wrong format |
allow the right work item format |
USS-02 |
multi-page story |
story becomes a mini requirements document |
keep the story as a conversation anchor |
USS-03 |
missing acceptance criteria |
completion is undefined |
add AC before work starts |
USS-04 |
AC/DoD confusion |
feature and team-wide quality are mixed |
keep AC feature-specific |
USS-05 |
giant story |
cannot finish within one sprint |
split vertically |
USS-06 |
technical-layer split |
no end-to-end value |
slice by user outcome |
USS-07 |
no ready definition |
under-refined work enters delivery |
require value, size, AC, and context |
USS-08 |
no refinement |
details freeze too early or never mature |
refine continuously |
USS-09 |
forgotten conversation |
story becomes a static document |
keep the conversation active |
MoSCoW Pitfalls
| ID |
Pitfall |
Failure mode |
Guardrail |
MP-01 |
everything is Must |
prioritization collapses |
keep Must <= 60% |
MP-02 |
stakeholder disagreement |
teams rank differently |
align priorities together |
MP-03 |
one-time prioritization |
priorities do not respond to change |
re-evaluate iteratively |
MP-04 |
urgency equals importance |
strategic work is displaced |
separate urgency from importance |
MP-05 |
no success definition |
ranking is subjective |
derive priority from L0 KPI and value |
Must Ratio Check
Warning signs:
Must exceeds 60%Could or Won't are nearly empty- teams say everything blocks release
Backlog Anti-Patterns
| Pattern |
Failure mode |
Scribe response |
| bloated backlog |
100+ items and no usable priority order |
trigger decomposition |
| stale backlog |
old items remain forever |
use Deprecated status |
| estimate everything up front |
high change cost |
estimate progressively |
| no epic or theme layer |
no visible business linkage |
anchor in L0 and L1 |
| hidden tech debt |
risk stays invisible |
expose it in L2-Dev |
Scribe Quality Gates
- no AC -> not ready
Must > 60% -> warning- technical-layer slicing -> recommend vertical slicing
- priority with no KPI rationale -> warning
