How do I install the User Story Splitting skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add nandanosql/user-story-splitting in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

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Which AI agents work with User Story Splitting?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is User Story Splitting free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published User Story Splitting?

nandanosql (@nandanosql) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

User Story Splitting by nandanosql — Agent Skill

Name: User Story Splitting
Author: nandanosql

File contents

Purpose

Break down large user stories into smaller, independently deliverable stories that still deliver user value. Uses 8 proven patterns to find the right splitting strategy.

Key Concepts

8 Splitting Patterns

#	Pattern	Signal	Example
1	Workflow Steps	Story covers multiple steps	"Checkout" → Review cart, Enter payment, Confirm
2	Happy/Sad Path	Error handling adds scope	"Login" → Success, Invalid credentials, Account locked
3	Business Rules	Multiple conditions/variations	"Discount" → By volume, by tier, by promo code
4	Variations in Data	Multiple input types	"Import" → CSV, Excel, API
5	Operations (CRUD)	Multiple actions on same entity	"Profile" → View, Edit, Delete
6	Defer Performance	Works but not fast enough	"Search" → Basic results, then fast/ranked results
7	Simple/Complex	Core vs. edge cases	"Address" → Single address, then multi-address
8	Break Out a Spike	Unknown technical feasibility	"ML feature" → Research spike, then implementation

Splitting Rules

✅ Each split story must deliver independent user value
✅ Each story should be testable on its own
✅ Combined splits should cover the original story
❌ Don't split by technical layer (frontend/backend/database)
❌ Don't split into "implement" and "test" stories

Application

Step 1: Identify Why It's Too Big

**Original story:** [Paste the story]
**Why it's big:** [Multiple steps / Complex rules / Multiple paths / etc.]
**Estimated effort:** [Current estimate that's too large]

Step 2: Choose a Pattern

**Pattern selected:** [Pattern name]
**Rationale:** [Why this pattern fits the story's structure]

Step 3: Split and Validate

**Split stories:**

1. [Story 1 — smallest valuable increment]
   - Can be released independently? ✅/❌
   - Delivers user value alone? ✅/❌

2. [Story 2 — next increment]
   - Can be released independently? ✅/❌

3. [Story 3 — additional increment]
   ...

**Coverage check:** Do all splits combined = original story? ✅/❌

Examples

✅ Good Split (Workflow Steps)

Original: "As a customer, I want to complete checkout so I can receive my order"

Split:

"As a customer, I want to review my cart so I can confirm items before paying" (MVP)
"As a customer, I want to enter payment details so I can pay for my order"
"As a customer, I want to receive an order confirmation so I know my order was placed"

❌ Bad Split (Technical Layers)

"Backend: Create payment API endpoint" ← Not a user story
"Frontend: Build checkout form" ← Not a user story
"Database: Create orders table" ← Not a user story

References

Related Skills

skills/specification/user-story/SKILL.md — Write the resulting stories
skills/planning/epic-breakdown-advisor/SKILL.md — Interactive splitting guidance

External Frameworks

Richard Lawrence, Patterns for Splitting User Stories

Skill type: Component Domain: Specification & Design

---name: user-story-splittingdescription: Break down large user stories into smaller, independently deliverable stories using 8 proven splitting patterns. Ensures each split story still delivers user value.---## PurposeBreak down large user stories into smaller, independently deliverable stories that still deliver **user value**. Uses 8 proven patterns to find the right splitting strategy.---## Key Concepts### 8 Splitting Patterns| # | Pattern | Signal | Example ||---|---------|--------|---------|| 1 | **Workflow Steps** | Story covers multiple steps | "Checkout" → Review cart, Enter payment, Confirm || 2 | **Happy/Sad Path** | Error handling adds scope | "Login" → Success, Invalid credentials, Account locked || 3 | **Business Rules** | Multiple conditions/variations | "Discount" → By volume, by tier, by promo code || 4 | **Variations in Data** | Multiple input types | "Import" → CSV, Excel, API || 5 | **Operations (CRUD)** | Multiple actions on same entity | "Profile" → View, Edit, Delete || 6 | **Defer Performance** | Works but not fast enough | "Search" → Basic results, then fast/ranked results || 7 | **Simple/Complex** | Core vs. edge cases | "Address" → Single address, then multi-address || 8 | **Break Out a Spike** | Unknown technical feasibility | "ML feature" → Research spike, then implementation |### Splitting Rules- ✅ Each split story must deliver **independent user value**- ✅ Each story should be **testable on its own**- ✅ Combined splits should **cover the original story**- ❌ Don't split by technical layer (frontend/backend/database)- ❌ Don't split into "implement" and "test" stories---## Application### Step 1: Identify Why It's Too Big```markdown**Original story:** [Paste the story]**Why it's big:** [Multiple steps / Complex rules / Multiple paths / etc.]**Estimated effort:** [Current estimate that's too large]```### Step 2: Choose a Pattern```markdown**Pattern selected:** [Pattern name]**Rationale:** [Why this pattern fits the story's structure]```### Step 3: Split and Validate```markdown**Split stories:**1. [Story 1 — smallest valuable increment] - Can be released independently? ✅/❌ - Delivers user value alone? ✅/❌2. [Story 2 — next increment] - Can be released independently? ✅/❌3. [Story 3 — additional increment] ...**Coverage check:** Do all splits combined = original story? ✅/❌```---## Examples### ✅ Good Split (Workflow Steps)**Original:** "As a customer, I want to complete checkout so I can receive my order"**Split:**1. "As a customer, I want to review my cart so I can confirm items before paying" (MVP)2. "As a customer, I want to enter payment details so I can pay for my order"3. "As a customer, I want to receive an order confirmation so I know my order was placed"### ❌ Bad Split (Technical Layers)1. "Backend: Create payment API endpoint" ← Not a user story2. "Frontend: Build checkout form" ← Not a user story3. "Database: Create orders table" ← Not a user story---## References### Related Skills- `skills/specification/user-story/SKILL.md` — Write the resulting stories- `skills/planning/epic-breakdown-advisor/SKILL.md` — Interactive splitting guidance### External Frameworks- Richard Lawrence, *Patterns for Splitting User Stories*---**Skill type:** Component**Domain:** Specification & Design

Frequently asked questions

User Story Splitting