Part III. Planning for Value

Before planning a project, we must consider what it is that our users need. Simply generating a list of things we think they want and then scheduling the development of those features is not enough. Achieving the best combination of product features (scope), schedule, and cost requires deliberate consideration of the cost and value of the user stories and themes that will comprise the release.

The four chapters of this part begin with a description of the four specific factors that need to be considered when prioritizing user stories and themes. Next, some simple ways of modeling the financial return of a story or theme are described, including how to compare the resulting values. Next, we look at two different approaches to assessing the desirability of stories and themes. The part concludes with some advice on splitting large user stories or features into smaller ones that are ready for implementation.