By Teresa Torres · producttalk.org · @ttorres on X · LinkedIn
Teresa Torres reflects on a live podcast discussion about writing user stories, where co-host Roger Cauvin argued that stories lacking the who and why leave engineers doing only the bare minimum. Torres clarifies that this failure mode is distinct from the Minimum Viable Product concept, which deliberately builds the smallest product needed to learn quickly. The post separates two kinds of 'least possible': one from unmotivated order-taking, which is harmful, and one from purposeful learning, which is good. It matters because the terms are easy to conflate, and a clear user story format helps teams understand context and solve problems better.
01Key takeaways
- Always communicate the who and the why behind a user story, not just the what.
- Missing context causes engineers to deliver only the literal requirement, leaving no room for better solutions.
- Distinguish between a team doing the bare minimum from lack of context and a deliberate MVP built to learn.
- An MVP is about building just enough to test a market need quickly, not about minimal effort.
- Share the reasoning behind requirements so the team can find a better way to solve the problem.
02Key sections
- The who, what, and why of user stories
- Torres restates the user story structure of a specific user, an action, and a benefit. She argues product managers overemphasize the what at the expense of the who and why.
- Roger's objection about bare-minimum delivery
- Cauvin points out that omitting context leaves engineering teams without the information to go beyond the literal requirement. Torres agrees this outcome is undesirable.
- Confusion with the MVP concept
- Torres worries listeners may mistake the bare-minimum critique for the Lean Startup MVP idea, which she considers valuable. Her attempt to clarify created further confusion.
- Two kinds of building the least
- She contrasts teams that do just enough because they lack context with companies that build the lightest product to learn what works. The first is harmful, the second is good.
- Further resources
- Torres points readers to her earlier writing on user stories and to Mike Cohn's book User Stories Applied.
03From the post
“Yesterday, I was the guest speaker on the Global Product Management Talk hosted by Cindy Solomon. For yesterday's show, Roger Cauvin was the co-host. We were discussing how to write compelling user stories. As many of you know, this is a topic that I've covered in-depth”
04Frameworks mentioned
Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.