By Teresa Torres · producttalk.org · @ttorres on X · LinkedIn
Teresa Torres argues that user-story backlogs tend to grow into disorganized collections that lose connection to the product's purpose. Her remedy is to define a small set of strategic goals as themes before writing stories, then tie every story to one of them. Stories still carry tactical user benefits, but themes add a higher-level 'why' that keeps the team focused. Stories that cannot be mapped to any theme become a signal to question whether they should be built at all. Organizing the backlog around themes also gives long backlogs structure and makes prioritization goal-driven.
01Key takeaways
- Define a small set of product goals and use them as themes for every user story.
- Ask why each story is being built and check that the answer maps to a theme.
- Keep tactical user benefits in stories while using themes for strategic scope.
- Treat stories that fit no theme as a signal to reconsider building them.
- Organize and prioritize long backlogs by goal rather than by individual story.
02Key sections
- The backlog problem
- Long user-story backlogs can become tangled and lose sight of the overall product, unlike a PRD that is written all at once.
- Defining themes as goals
- Start by identifying the product's goals, such as growing registration or engagement, and treat these as the strategic 'why' behind all work.
- Benefits versus themes
- User benefits written into stories are tactical, while themes operate at a broader, strategic scope.
- Event site example
- Two different stories about importing contacts and looking up venues both reduce friction in creating events, supporting a shared goal of more events.
- Using themes for focus and structure
- Themes create focus, help organize backlogs, and act as a filter: stories without a theme may not belong in the product.
03From the post
“One of the biggest challenges with writing requirements as user stories is that with time your backlog can become an overgrown mess of assorted stories that seem to have no rhyme or reason. When writing a PRD, it's easy to keep the whole product in mind. After all, you”
Summary and takeaways written by PM Atlas; quotes are short excerpts. © the original author.