Agent skill · product strategy · borghei
story-mapping
Jeff Patton-style user story mapping for visualizing user journeys, MVP definition, release planning, backlog sequencing, and cross-team alignment.
Why this skill is useful
Provides a structured approach to user story mapping that enhances team alignment and prioritization, which the AI may not generate independently.
What it needs
About 3k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-07-21. 462 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
User Story Mapping Expert Overview Visualize the user journey and translate strategy into prioritized, deliverable work using Jeff Patton's user story mapping technique. Story maps shift teams from feature-first thinking to flow-first thinking -- understanding the complete user experience before deciding what to build and in what order. A story map is a 2D grid: the backbone (activities → steps) runs left-to-right in the order users experience the journey, the body (tasks) hangs below each step ranked top-to-bottom by priority, and a horizontal MVP line separates Release 1 from later. See the playbook reference for full anatomy and the 6-step build sequence. When to Use MVP definition -- Draw a clear line between "must ship" and "can wait." Release planning -- Sequence work across multiple releases or sprints. Cross-team alignment -- Give multiple teams a shared understanding of the user journey. Backlog reorganization -- Restore context and priority to a flat backlog. New product kickoff -- Decompose a vision into work from scratch. When NOT to Use Purely technical infrastructure work with no user journey (use technical spikes). The team already has a well-prioritized, context-rich backlog. Single-feature work that doesn't span multiple user activities. Clarify First Before building the map, confirm these inputs. If any is unknown or vague, ASK — do not assume: [ ] The user and their end-to-end journey — who travels it and the activities → steps in order (defines the backbone, the left-to-right spine of the map) [ ] The target release / MVP — what must ship first vs can wait (sets where the MVP line is drawn between Release 1 and later) [ ] The map's goal — MVP definition vs release sequencing vs cross-team alignment (changes how the body tasks are sliced and prioritized) Stop rule: ask only the 2-3 that most change the output. If the user says "just draft it," proceed and list your assumptions at the top of the artifact. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills borghei/story-mapping