A2: Actors and User Stories [04] §
This artefact contains the specification of the actors and their user stories, serving as agile documentation of the project requirements. ¶
Based on both the common and the theme-specific functional requirements, each group is expected to identify and describe the actors and the user stories for their project. The full implementation of the features identified as required corresponds to a grade of 18 (in 20). The additional 2 points are for features proposed by each group, considering the quality and innovation of these features. ¶
An Actor models a type of role played by an entity that interacts with the system being specified. This may include persons (not just the end-user) and other entities external to the system. Actors are always external to the system being modeled; they are never part of the system [Ambler04]. ¶
A User Story is a high-level definition of a requirement containing only the necessary information so that the developers can produce a reasonable estimate of the effort required to implement it [Ambler04]. A user story, a brief description of a potential interaction with the system by one of its users, focuses only on interaction requirements and not on the technical aspects of the design of the system. Each user story has a priority: high or essential, medium or conditional, and low or optional. A team of expert analysts also includes an estimate of the effort required for its implementation. ¶
Each user story must follow the template [Dennis10]: ¶
“As a [user], I want [function], so that [value]” ¶
The supplementary requirements are also presented as a section, and includes business rules, technical requirements and other restrictions on the project [Ambler04]: ¶
- A business rule defines or constrains one aspect of the business, with the intention of asserting business structure or influencing business behaviour. Business rules often supplement usage or user interface requirements; ¶
- Technical requirements are concerned with the technical aspects that the system must meet, such as performance-related issues, reliability issues and availability issues. Highlight and justify the three most critical technical requirements for your project; ¶
- A restriction on the design limits the degree of freedom in the search for a solution. ¶