Agile Story Generation

Agile Story Generation

Overview

This skill enables you to generate well-structured user stories from high-level requirements, feature descriptions, or stakeholder requests within ServiceNow's Agile Development 2.0 module. It covers:

• Decomposing features into appropriately sized user stories
• Writing stories in standard "As a / I want / So that" format
• Estimating story points using relative sizing
• Linking stories to epics and assigning to sprints
• Generating acceptance criteria for each story
• Setting priority and classification fields

When to use: When product owners, scrum masters, or business analysts need to convert requirements into backlog-ready user stories in ServiceNow SPM.

Prerequisites

• Plugins: com.snc.sdlc.agile.2.0 (Agile Development 2.0)
• Roles: scrum_user, scrum_master, or scrum_admin
• Access: Read/write access to rm_story, rm_epic, rm_sprint tables
• Knowledge: Understanding of the project's epics, sprint cadence, and team velocity

Procedure

Step 1: Identify the Target Epic and Sprint

Query existing epics in the project to determine where the new stories belong.

Using MCP (Claude Code/Desktop):

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: rm_epic
  query: product.sys_id=[product_sys_id]^state!=3
  fields: sys_id,number,short_description,state,priority,story_points_total
  limit: 20

Using REST API:

GET /api/now/table/rm_epic?sysparm_query=product.sys_id=[product_sys_id]^state!=3&sysparm_fields=sys_id,number,short_description,state,priority,story_points_total&sysparm_limit=20

Query active sprints to find the target sprint for assignment:

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: rm_sprint
  query: release.product.sys_id=[product_sys_id]^state=2
  fields: sys_id,number,short_description,start_date,end_date,story_points,capacity
  limit: 5

Using REST API:

GET /api/now/table/rm_sprint?sysparm_query=release.product.sys_id=[product_sys_id]^state=2&sysparm_fields=sys_id,number,short_description,start_date,end_date,story_points,capacity&sysparm_limit=5

Step 2: Analyze the Requirement

Break down the feature description into discrete, independently deliverable user stories. Apply the INVEST criteria:

Step 3: Generate User Stories

For each identified story, create a record in the rm_story table.

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: rm_story
  fields:
    short_description: "As a [persona], I want to [action] so that [benefit]"
    description: |
      ## User Story
      **As a** customer service representative
      **I want to** search for customers by phone number
      **So that** I can quickly locate their account during inbound calls

      ## Details
      - Search should support partial phone number matching
      - Results should display customer name, account number, and status
      - Search should return results within 2 seconds

      ## Technical Notes
      - Leverage existing customer API endpoint
      - Index phone_number field for performance
    story_points: 5
    epic: [epic_sys_id]
    sprint: [sprint_sys_id]
    state: -6
    priority: 2
    acceptance_criteria: |
      Given I am logged in as a service representative
      When I enter a phone number (full or partial) in the search field
      Then matching customer records are displayed within 2 seconds

      Given no matching records exist
      When I search for a phone number
      Then a "No results found" message is displayed

      Given multiple matches are found
      When results are displayed
      Then they are sorted by relevance with exact matches first
    product: [product_sys_id]
    assigned_to: [user_sys_id]
    classification: Enhancement

Using REST API:

POST /api/now/table/rm_story
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "short_description": "As a customer service rep, I want to search customers by phone number so I can locate accounts quickly",
  "description": "## User Story\n**As a** customer service representative\n**I want to** search for customers by phone number\n**So that** I can quickly locate their account during inbound calls",
  "story_points": 5,
  "epic": "[epic_sys_id]",
  "sprint": "[sprint_sys_id]",
  "state": "-6",
  "priority": 2,
  "acceptance_criteria": "Given I am logged in as a service representative\nWhen I enter a phone number in the search field\nThen matching customer records are displayed within 2 seconds",
  "product": "[product_sys_id]",
  "classification": "Enhancement"
}

Step 4: Estimate Story Points

Use relative sizing based on team velocity and complexity. Apply the modified Fibonacci scale:

Update story points after estimation:

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Update-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: rm_story
  sys_id: [story_sys_id]
  fields:
    story_points: 5
    blocked: false

Using REST API:

PATCH /api/now/table/rm_story/[story_sys_id]
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "story_points": 5,
  "blocked": false
}

Step 5: Validate Sprint Capacity

Before assigning stories, verify the sprint has remaining capacity.

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: rm_sprint
  query: sys_id=[sprint_sys_id]
  fields: sys_id,short_description,capacity,story_points,start_date,end_date
  limit: 1

Calculate remaining capacity: remaining = capacity - story_points. Only assign stories if the total story points of new stories fit within the remaining capacity.

Step 6: Link Stories to Epic and Verify

Query the epic to confirm all stories are linked correctly:

Using MCP:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: rm_story
  query: epic=[epic_sys_id]^ORDERBYpriority
  fields: number,short_description,story_points,state,sprint,assigned_to,priority
  limit: 50

Using REST API:

GET /api/now/table/rm_story?sysparm_query=epic=[epic_sys_id]^ORDERBYpriority&sysparm_fields=number,short_description,story_points,state,sprint,assigned_to,priority&sysparm_limit=50

Tool Usage

MCP Tools Reference

REST API Reference

Best Practices

• One Action Per Story: Each story should describe a single user action or capability
• Include Acceptance Criteria: Every story must have testable acceptance criteria before sprint planning
• Right-Size Stories: Aim for 1-8 story points; split anything estimated at 13+
• Use Personas: Write stories from the perspective of actual user personas, not generic "user"
• Avoid Technical Language: Stories describe what, not how; keep implementation details in tasks
• Link to Epics: Always associate stories with their parent epic for traceability
• Verify Capacity: Check sprint capacity before assigning stories to avoid overcommitment
• Set Classification: Use Enhancement, Defect, or Spike to categorize the story type

Troubleshooting

"Epic not found" when linking story

Cause: Epic sys_id is incorrect or epic belongs to a different product Solution: Query rm_epic with the product filter to find valid epics: product=[product_sys_id]^state!=3

"Sprint capacity exceeded" warning

Cause: Adding stories beyond the sprint's configured capacity Solution: Check capacity vs story_points on the sprint record; consider moving stories to the next sprint

"Story not appearing on sprint board"

Cause: Story is missing the sprint assignment or is in Draft state Solution: Verify the sprint field is set and state is at least "Ready" (state=-5)

"Cannot assign story to closed sprint"

Cause: Sprint state is Complete (3) or Closed Solution: Query for active sprints with state=2 and assign to a current or future sprint

Examples

Example 1: E-Commerce Feature Decomposition

Input Requirement: "Users should be able to manage their shopping cart"

Generated Stories:

1. STY0010001 - "As a shopper, I want to add items to my cart so that I can purchase them later" (3 pts)
2. STY0010002 - "As a shopper, I want to remove items from my cart so that I can change my mind" (2 pts)
3. STY0010003 - "As a shopper, I want to update item quantities in my cart so that I can buy multiples" (3 pts)
4. STY0010004 - "As a shopper, I want to see a cart summary with subtotal so that I know what I'm spending" (5 pts)
5. STY0010005 - "As a shopper, I want my cart to persist across sessions so that I don't lose my selections" (5 pts)

Total: 18 story points across 5 stories

Example 2: Single Story with Full Detail

Input: "Need password reset functionality for mobile app"

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: rm_story
  fields:
    short_description: "As a mobile app user, I want to reset my password from the login screen so that I can regain access to my account"
    story_points: 5
    epic: [auth_epic_sys_id]
    sprint: [current_sprint_sys_id]
    priority: 2
    state: -6
    classification: Enhancement
    acceptance_criteria: |
      Given I am on the mobile login screen
      When I tap "Forgot Password"
      Then I am prompted to enter my registered email address

      Given I enter a valid registered email
      When I submit the reset request
      Then I receive a password reset link via email within 60 seconds

      Given I click the reset link from the email
      When I enter a new password meeting complexity requirements
      Then my password is updated and I can log in with the new credentials

      Given I enter an unregistered email
      When I submit the reset request
      Then I see a generic message (no indication whether email exists)

Related Skills

• spm/acceptance-criteria - Detailed acceptance criteria generation
• spm/project-insights - Track project health and velocity
• spm/planning-summarization - Summarize sprint and release planning
• spm/feedback-summarization - Retrospective feedback analysis
• development/automated-testing - Generate test cases from stories