Reverse-Engineering Software into User Stories: A Developer's Guide 💻

Reverse-Engineering Software into User Stories: A Developer's Guide 💻

In the world of agile software development, user stories are the building blocks of great software. They help us capture requirements from the user's perspective and guide our development process. But what happens when you need to reverse-engineer an existing piece of software into user stories? This is a valuable skill for developers who want to understand, replicate, or improve existing systems.

In this tutorial, we'll explore how to reverse-engineer a JIRA clone built with React and Node/TypeScript into a comprehensive set of user stories, following the principles from Mike Cohn's "User Stories Applied" book.

We'll focus on creating user stories that meet the INVEST criteria: Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, and Testable.

Understanding the Target Software

Before we can reverse-engineer user stories, we need to thoroughly understand the software we're analyzing. Let's examine the JIRA clone from the repository https://github.com/oldboyxx/jira_clone.

This is a simplified project management tool with the following core components:

Core Entities

• Users: People who can create and manage projects and issues
• Projects: Containers for organizing work
• Issues: Individual tasks or bugs to be tracked
• Comments: Discussions attached to issues

Key Features

• Kanban-style board for visualizing workflow
• Issue creation and management
• Issue search functionality
• Project settings and configuration
• User authentication (simplified)

The INVEST Criteria Framework

Before diving into the reverse-engineering process, let's review Mike Cohn's INVEST criteria for good user stories:

Step 1: Identify User Roles

The first step in reverse-engineering user stories is to identify the different types of users who interact with the system. Based on the JIRA clone, we can identify these user roles:

Step 2: Map Core Functionality to User Activities

Now, let's map the software's functionality to user activities. We'll examine each major component and identify what users can do with it.

Project Management

• Create new projects
• View project details
• Update project settings
• Delete projects

Issue Management

• Create new issues
• Edit existing issues
• Move issues between columns on the board
• Add comments to issues
• Search for issues
• Filter issues by various criteria

User Management

• User registration/authentication
• View user profiles
• Assign users to issues

Board Visualization

• View Kanban board
• Customize board columns
• Drag and drop issues between columns

Step 3: Craft User Stories Following INVEST Criteria

Now we'll transform these activities into well-formed user stories that meet the INVEST criteria. Let's start with the project management functionality.

Project Management User Stories

Story 1: As a Project Manager, I want to create a new project so that I can organize my team's work.

• Independent: Can be implemented without depending on other stories
• Negotiable: The exact fields and validation rules can be discussed
• Valuable: Enables project organization, a core need
• Estimable: Clear scope - form with project details
• Small: Can be completed in a single iteration
• Testable: Verify project appears in project list after creation

Story 2: As a Project Manager, I want to edit project settings so that I can update project details as requirements change.

• Independent: Doesn't depend on other project management features
• Negotiable: Which settings can be edited is open for discussion
• Valuable: Allows project maintenance and adaptation
• Estimable: Form-based functionality with clear scope
• Small: Focused on a single feature
• Testable: Verify settings are saved and applied correctly

Story 3: As a Team Member, I want to view project details so that I can understand the project context and goals.

• Independent: Can be implemented separately from editing functionality
• Negotiable: What information is displayed can be adjusted
• Valuable: Provides necessary context for team members
• Estimable: Display functionality is straightforward
• Small: Single view with project information
• Testable: Verify all project details are displayed correctly

Issue Management User Stories

Story 4: As a Developer, I want to create a new issue so that I can track tasks and bugs that need to be addressed.

• Independent: Core functionality that stands alone
• Negotiable: Issue fields and types can be customized
• Valuable: Essential for tracking work items
• Estimable: Form creation with validation
• Small: Focused on the creation process
• Testable: Verify issue appears in the system after creation

Story 5: As a Developer, I want to edit existing issues so that I can update issue details as work progresses.

• Independent: Separate from creation functionality
• Negotiable: Which fields can be edited can be discussed
• Valuable: Allows issue maintenance and updates
• Estimable: Edit form with save functionality
• Small: Single feature implementation
• Testable: Verify changes are saved and displayed

Story 6: As a Developer, I want to move issues between board columns so that I can update issue status as work progresses.

• Independent: Can be implemented separately from other issue features
• Negotiable: Column names and workflow can be customized
• Valuable: Core workflow functionality
• Estimable: Drag-and-drop or click-to-move functionality
• Small: Focused interaction feature
• Testable: Verify issues move correctly and status updates

Story 7: As a Team Member, I want to add comments to issues so that I can provide updates and discuss issue details.

• Independent: Separate feature from core issue management
• Negotiable: Comment formatting and features can be discussed
• Valuable: Enables team communication
• Estimable: Comment form and display functionality
• Small: Single feature implementation
• Testable: Verify comments are saved and displayed

Story 8: As a Team Member, I want to search for issues so that I can quickly find specific issues I'm looking for.

• Independent: Standalone search functionality
• Negotiable: Search criteria and filters can be adjusted
• Valuable: Improves productivity and issue discovery
• Estimable: Search interface and backend implementation
• Small: Focused on search functionality
• Testable: Verify search returns correct results

User Management User Stories

Story 9: As a User, I want to register for an account so that I can access the system and participate in projects.

• Independent: Core authentication functionality
• Negotiable: Registration fields and requirements can be discussed
• Valuable: Essential for system access
• Estimable: Registration form and user creation
• Small: Single feature implementation
• Testable: Verify account creation and login functionality

Story 10: As a User, I want to log in to the system so that I can access my projects and issues.

• Independent: Separate from registration
• Negotiable: Login methods and security can be discussed
• Valuable: Required for system access
• Estimable: Login form and authentication
• Small: Focused authentication feature
• Testable: Verify successful login and session management

Story 11: As a Project Manager, I want to assign users to issues so that I can distribute work among team members.

• Independent: Can be implemented separately from other user features
• Negotiable: Assignment rules and permissions can be discussed
• Valuable: Essential for work distribution
• Estimable: User selection and assignment functionality
• Small: Single feature implementation
• Testable: Verify assignments are saved and displayed

Board Visualization User Stories

Story 12: As a Team Member, I want to view a Kanban board so that I can see the status of all issues at a glance.

• Independent: Core visualization feature
• Negotiable: Board layout and columns can be customized
• Valuable: Provides visual workflow overview
• Estimable: Board display and issue organization
• Small: Focused on board visualization
• Testable: Verify board displays correctly with issues

Story 13: As a Project Manager, I want to customize board columns so that I can tailor the workflow to my team's process.

• Independent: Separate from basic board display
• Negotiable: Column customization options can be discussed
• Valuable: Allows workflow adaptation
• Estimable: Column management interface
• Small: Focused on customization feature
• Testable: Verify column changes are saved and applied

Step 4: Organize Stories into Epics

To better organize our user stories, we can group them into epics based on functionality:

Epic: Project Management

• Story 1: Create new project
• Story 2: Edit project settings
• Story 3: View project details

Epic: Issue Management

• Story 4: Create new issue
• Story 5: Edit existing issues
• Story 6: Move issues between board columns
• Story 7: Add comments to issues
• Story 8: Search for issues

Epic: User Management

• Story 9: Register for an account
• Story 10: Log in to the system
• Story 11: Assign users to issues

Epic: Board Visualization

• Story 12: View Kanban board
• Story 13: Customize board columns

Step 5: Add Acceptance Criteria

For each user story, we should define clear acceptance criteria to make them more testable. Let's add acceptance criteria to a few key stories:

Story 1: Create new project

• Given I am a logged-in user
• When I navigate to the projects page
• And I click "Create New Project"
• And I fill in the project name, description, and key
• And I click "Create"
• Then the project should be created
• And I should be redirected to the project page
• And the project should appear in my projects list

Story 6: Move issues between board columns

• Given I am viewing a project board
• And there are issues in different columns
• When I drag an issue from "To Do" to "In Progress"
• Then the issue should move to the "In Progress" column
• And the issue status should be updated in the database
• And the change should be visible to all team members

Story 8: Search for issues

• Given I am on the project board
• When I enter search terms in the search box
• And I click "Search" or press Enter
• Then only issues matching the search criteria should be displayed
• And the search should cover issue titles, descriptions, and comments
• And I should see the number of matching results

Step 6: Prioritize Stories

Based on the minimum viable product (MVP) concept, we can prioritize our stories:

MVP Stories (Must-have)

Version 2 Stories (Should-have)

Version 3 Stories (Nice-to-have)

Best Practices for Reverse-Engineering User Stories

Based on this exercise, here are some best practices for reverse-engineering software into user stories:

1. Start with User Roles

Always begin by identifying who will use the software. Different roles have different needs and priorities.

2. Focus on Value, Not Features

Instead of listing features, focus on what value each feature provides to the user. This aligns with the "Valuable" criterion in INVEST.

3. Keep Stories Independent

Avoid creating stories that depend on each other. This allows for flexible scheduling and implementation.

4. Make Stories Negotiable

Remember that user stories are conversation starters, not specifications. Leave room for discussion and refinement.

5. Ensure Testability

Each story should have clear acceptance criteria that define when it's "done." This makes estimation and verification easier.

6. Use the "So That" Clause

Always include the "so that" part of the user story to clarify the value and purpose of the feature.

7. Consider Edge Cases

Think about what happens when things go wrong. Error handling and edge cases should be considered in your stories.

Conclusion

Reverse-engineering existing software into user stories is a valuable skill for developers. It helps us understand systems better, plan improvements, and even rebuild systems with better architecture.

By following Mike Cohn's INVEST criteria and the systematic approach outlined in this tutorial, you can transform any piece of software into a well-organized set of user stories that can guide development, whether you're replicating, improving, or documenting existing functionality.

Remember that good user stories are living documents. They should evolve as you learn more about the users' needs and the system's requirements. The goal is not to create perfect stories upfront, but to create a foundation for conversation and collaboration that leads to better software.

The JIRA clone we analyzed demonstrates how even complex systems can be broken down into manageable, valuable user stories. By applying these principles to your own projects, you'll be better equipped to deliver software that truly meets user needs.

Crepi il lupo! 🐺