# User Story Template
*By Touseef Shaik — touseefshaik.com*

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## User Story Format

```
As a [specific user role]
I want [specific action or capability]
So that [measurable business value or outcome]
```

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## Example (Filled)

```
As a loan applicant
I want to track my application status online
So that I don't have to call customer support for updates
```

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## Acceptance Criteria (Given-When-Then)

### Story: [Story Title]

**Priority:** Must Have / Should Have / Could Have / Won't Have (MoSCoW)

**Complexity:** Small / Medium / Large

**Acceptance Criteria:**

| # | Given | When | Then |
|---|-------|------|------|
| 1 | [Precondition / initial state] | [User action taken] | [Expected outcome] |
| 2 | [Precondition / initial state] | [User action taken] | [Expected outcome] |
| 3 | [Edge case condition] | [Edge case action] | [Expected handling] |

**Notes:**
- [Additional context, design references, or dependencies]

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## Story Mapping (Optional)

| Epic | Feature | User Story | Priority | Sprint |
|------|---------|------------|----------|--------|
| [Epic Name] | [Feature] | [Story title] | Must/Should/Could | Sprint X |
| | | | | |

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## Definition of Ready Checklist

Before moving this story to a sprint, confirm:

- [ ] Story follows "As a — I want — So that" format
- [ ] Acceptance criteria written in Given-When-Then
- [ ] Priority assigned (MoSCoW)
- [ ] Complexity estimated (S/M/L)
- [ ] Dependencies identified
- [ ] Design/UX references linked (if applicable)
- [ ] No unanswered questions that block implementation

## Definition of Done Checklist

- [ ] All acceptance criteria met
- [ ] Code reviewed
- [ ] Unit tests passing
- [ ] QA tested in staging
- [ ] Documentation updated
- [ ] Product Owner sign-off

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## Tips for Better User Stories

1. **Be specific about the user.** "As a user" is too vague. "As a first-time loan applicant" is better.
2. **The "So that" is the most important part.** If you can't articulate the business value, the story isn't ready.
3. **Acceptance criteria are testable.** If you can't write a test for it, rewrite the criterion.
4. **One story = one capability.** If your story has "and" in the title, split it.
5. **Include edge cases.** Happy path is easy. What happens when things go wrong?

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*This template is part of the free BA/PO Toolkit from touseefshaik.com/resources. For AI-powered user story generation, try BA Assistant at tshaik1990-ba-assistant.hf.space.*