Agent skill · product strategy · deanpeters
user-story-splitting
Break a large story or epic into smaller deliverable stories using proven split patterns. Use when backlog items are too big for estimation, sequencing, or independent release.
Why this skill is useful
Provides systematic patterns for breaking down user stories that enhance agile development practices.
What it needs
About 8k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-07-17. 6,302 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Purpose Break down large user stories, epics, or features into smaller, independently deliverable stories using systematic splitting patterns. Use this to make work more manageable, reduce risk, enable faster feedback cycles, and maintain flow in agile development. This skill applies to user stories, epics, and any work that's too large to complete in a single sprint. This is not arbitrary slicing—it's strategic decomposition that preserves user value while reducing complexity. Input Works best with: The story or epic that's too big — paste it as written. Also useful: Why it's too big (can't estimate, can't finish in a sprint, can't release independently) and your team's sizing ceiling. Anything supplied with the invocation itself — text after the skill name, a pasted context dump, or an appended ARGUMENTS: line — counts as answers already given. Use it and skip whatever it covers; don't re-ask. Arriving empty-handed? That works too. The skill asks for the story text, then walks the split patterns against it. Example invocation: Split this: 'As an admin, I can bulk-import users from CSV, Excel, or our HR system with field mapping and error handling.' Key Concepts The Story Splitting Framework Based on Richard Lawrence and Peter Green's "Humanizing Work Guide to Splitting User Stories," the framework provides 8 systematic patterns for splitting work: 1. Workflow steps: Split along sequential steps in a user's journey 2. Business rule variations: Split by different rule scenarios (permissions, calculations, etc.) 3. Data variations: Split by different data types or inputs 4. Acceptance criteria complexity: Split when multiple "When" or "Then" statements exist 5. Major effort: Split by technical milestones or implementation phases 6. External dependencies: Split along dependency boundaries (APIs, third parties, etc.) 7. DevOps steps: Split by deployment or infrastructure requirements 8. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills deanpeters/user-story-splitting