refine-story

Score user story drafts against INVEST criteria and agile coaching principles.

4|Updated Mar 11, 2026

Search Tags:#product management #agile #user stories #scrum #invest #story refinement

Ready to run

npx skills add https://github.com/cpliakas/claude-code-engineering-leaders --skill refine-story-cpliakas

💬 Prompt for ChatGPT / Claude Chat▼

Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: refine-story
Source: https://github.com/cpliakas/claude-code-engineering-leaders/tree/main/skills/refine-story
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/cpliakas/claude-code-engineering-leaders --skill refine-story-cpliakas

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve?

This Skill helps ensure user stories are well-defined, valuable, and meet agile best practices, preventing common pitfalls in software development planning.

Core Features & Use Cases

INVEST Scoring: Evaluates stories against the Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, and Testable criteria.
Agile Coaching Principles: Assesses adherence to outcome-orientation, explicit DoD, deferred estimation, scope boundaries, vertical slicing, independent ACs, and disposable technical notes.
Use Case: Before starting development, paste a draft user story into this Skill to receive a detailed report on its quality, with specific suggestions for improvement.

Quick Start

Use the refine-story skill to score the following story draft:

Frequently Asked Questions about refine-story

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema

How do I check if a user story meets INVEST criteria before sprint planning?▼

To check if a user story meets INVEST criteria, paste your draft story title, statement, acceptance criteria, technical notes, and definition of done into a story refinement tool to receive a structured pass/fail report against agile principles.

What are common anti-patterns in agile user stories and how do I fix them?▼

Common anti-patterns in agile user stories include missing outcome-orientation, lacking explicit Definition of Done, premature estimation, and poor scope boundaries. Analyzing your draft identifies these issues and provides specific rewrites to ensure vertical slicing and independent acceptance criteria.

Can I score user stories against agile coaching principles automatically?▼

Yes, you can score user stories automatically against seven agile coaching principles by validating outcome-orientation, explicit DoD, deferred estimation, scope boundaries, vertical slicing, independent ACs, and disposable technical notes to identify anti-patterns in your drafts.

How do I write better acceptance criteria for Scrum user stories?▼

To write better acceptance criteria for Scrum user stories, ensure your ACs are independent and testable. Story refinement analysis evaluates your acceptance criteria against INVEST and agile principles, providing structured pass/fail results and specific rewrites for failed criteria.

Does my user story need technical notes and a definition of done before analysis?▼

Your user story should include technical notes and a definition of done before analysis because the refinement process validates explicit DoD, deferred estimation, and disposable technical notes to ensure the story meets agile best practices and avoids development pitfalls.

What is the best way to refine user stories for vertical slicing and scope boundaries?▼

The best way to refine user stories for vertical slicing and scope boundaries is to score the draft against agile coaching principles, which analyzes the story structure to validate scope boundaries and vertical slicing, generating specific rewrites for any identified failures.