What problem does it solve?
Break down large user stories, epics, or features into smaller, independently deliverable stories using systematic splitting patterns. This approach helps teams manage scope, reduce risk, enable faster feedback cycles, and maintain flow in agile development. It applies to user stories, epics, and any work that's too large to complete in a single sprint.
Core Features & Use Cases
- The 8 splitting patterns form a framework to decompose work into meaningful increments:
- Workflow steps
- Business rule variations
- Data variations
- Acceptance criteria complexity
- Major effort
- External dependencies
- DevOps steps
- Tiny Acts of Discovery (TADs)
- Use cases include breaking down epics into deliverable stories, handling multiple acceptance criteria, and enabling faster validation by shipping smaller increments.
- The approach emphasizes delivering user value in each split, avoiding meaningless partitions, and maintaining independence where possible.
Quick Start
Start with the Original Story, apply the 8 patterns in order, and write complete split stories using the provided template until you identify applicable splits.