Describe the optimal level of detail a user story should hold prior to the beginning of a sprint.
Interviewers ask this question to assess a candidate's view on the inclusion of requirement detail within the user story process. Interviewers appreciate answers that demonstrate how your opinions as a Scrum Master could potentially drive value within the Scrum process.
Avoid answers that violate any of the basic principles of Scrum or agile development. For example, indicating that a user story must contain a full set of business and technical requirements would not be in line with the agile principle that values team interactions over documentation.
The user story statement should contain the who, the what, and the why for the functionality to be developed. I encourage teams to follow the 'As a role user, I need the ability to ability to be created, so that I can value to be created.' format. This model drives worthwhile conversation without boxing the team into a specific implementation.
If there are basic requirements that are considered 'must haves' by the product owner or clients, I encourage the team to include this high-level list in the acceptance criteria of the story. These details are not the same as detailed requirements or technical design specifications. They are quick and easy to review notes that scope the story without wasting time on unnecessary documentation.
Community answers are written by other candidates practicing this set. Reading how others frame the same question is one of the fastest ways to sharpen your own.
Anonymous Answer
A user story should contain the who, the what, and the why for functionality development. I encourage teams to follow the format of as a user, I want to, so that I can…. This format drives the conversation without inboxing the team into a specific implementation.
If there are high-level criteria that are must-haves as stated by the product owner, the team should include them in the acceptance criteria of their story.
Marcie's Feedback
Excellent! You come across as confident and knowledgeable in this area, which is great. Consider including an example and walking the interviewer through the kind of information your team had before a sprint began and what the end result was. Nice job!
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