I Saved 40+ Hours Per Month by Fixing How We Write User Stories
Most agile teams waste massive amounts of time on unclear requirements, but this systematic approach to epics and stories eliminates confusion and delivers results.
Most teams confuse activity with progress, but these banger prompts in this knowledge drop transform scattered Post-its into organized epics and stories that actually deliver freaking value.
C’mon, you know your project backlog looks like a grocery list written by someone having a panic attack.
I’ve watched countless project managers throw tasks into their backlog like they’re slamming nickels into a slot machine in Vegas (and they never win). They create user stories that sound more like dictations from a robot than actionable work. Then they wonder why their sprints feel like they’re herding cats like that Super Bowl commercial years ago.
The problem isn’t your team’s capability. It’s that you’re not organizing their work without the help of AI.
When you master epics and stories with AI, you stop drowning in details and start delivering outcomes that matter.
Shall we go behind the curtain and see what the good wizard has cooked up for us this week?
This Week’s PM Time-Saver: The Agile Structure Accelerator Mini-Prompt
When your product owner asks for a realistic delivery timeline, and your crazy-ass backlog looks like an over-caffeinated toddler went on a bender with a non-erasable Sharpie on a glass wall of an unused conference room…
You need to get a grip.
Quick.
Here’s a prompt that’ll start to transform your project’s scribbled op art into structured epics and stories that everyone will love.
Act as an expert agile coach with project management experience. I need to structure my project work into proper epics and stories.
Here are my current project goals and requirements: [Insert your project details here]
Please:
1. Break down work into logical epics (3-5 major themes)
2. Create user stories for each epic following proper format
3. Identify dependencies between stories
4. Suggest sprint organization
5. Recommend acceptance criteria for key storiesWant to be the master of your agile domain? Look no further than the laser-focused prompt in the Mega-Prompts section that’ll set up your project like one of those professionals who get $5,000 to organize your closet.
Prompt Success Story: Team Transformation
When you implement this structured approach, watch your team dynamics completely shift…
Before: Team Cray Cray
Developers constantly ask, “What exactly does this story mean?”
Sprint planning meetings that feel like hostage negotiations
Stories carry over sprint after sprint because nobody understood the scope
Product owner explaining the same requirements in five different ways
Team velocity swings wildly between 15 and 45 points per sprint
After: The Serenity Team
Developers know exactly what done looks like before they start coding
Sprint planning becomes a strategic conversation about a delivery sequence
90% story completion rate because everything is properly sized
Product owner focuses on business value instead of constant clarification
Consistent team velocity that stakeholders can actually plan around
This radical transformation isn’t just about better documentation.
It’s about creating a team that moves from being confused to oozing confidence, from reacting to problems to surgically striking them, from whining about everything to delivering consistently.
When your team ups their game, they stop being drive-thru order-takers and start being proactive problem-solvers.
Prompt Tune-Up
Want to maximize your agile planning power with the Power of Greyyyyskullll?
Here’s a bite-sized preview of two power-up prompts that complement The Agile Structure Accelerator:
The Epic Definition Master Power-Up Prompt
When to use: When stakeholders can't articulate clear business outcomes for major features
Impact: 80% clearer epic definitions that align teams around business value
Key feature: Translates vague business requests into actionable epic frameworks with measurable outcomesThe Story Splitting Framework Power-Up Prompt:
When to use: When user stories are too large for a single sprint or lack clear acceptance criteria
Impact: 75% reduction in stories carrying over between sprints
Key feature: Creates properly sized stories with clear definition of done and testable acceptance criteriaEach prompt will help you build a backlog that actually makes sense (even to your mom).
Final Thoughts
Agile planning isn’t about shoving more undone crap in your backlog—it’s about organizing work so teams can deliver value predictably.
The approach I’ve shared doesn’t add additional layers. It creates clarity so your team knows what success looks like before they start coding.
I remember writing epics and stories when I was developing video games, and I wasn’t very good at it.
I wrote vague user stories that confused everyone
I prioritized work based on whoever yelled the loudest.
I prayed that my sprints would magically come together.
But with the help of AI, you can be the project manager who builds backlogs that teams love to work from.
Build teams that understand their work and deliver better results. Period.
AI makes this agile magic possible—get ready to embrace a new world my friend.
AI-Powered Project Manager Toolbox
Rolling out more retro hits than your dentist’s music selection on a Tuesday afternoon… here are some popular tools from issues long ago.
Click the links, download the files, and you’re in business.
Want to learn how to write for LinkedIn like a pro?
Before I started writing on LinkedIn, I took Justin Welsh’s LinkedIn OS Course.
AI-Driven Tools for PMs
Fieldy - The wearable AI note taker for in-person meetings.
Humata - AI reads documents to speed contract review and decision-making.
Notion AI Meeting Notes - Meeting notes are now done with AI in Notion.
Want to automatically generate step-by-step guides for any digital process, like web or desktop workflows?
Check out Scribe—I absolutely love their software.
AI News PMs Can Use
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Mega-Prompts
Ready to get your planning black belt while creating your agile project structure like the pros?
These three prompts will make you question how you ever planned your agile projects in the past. No more confused looks or unclear deliverables.
After running “The Agile Structure Accelerator” mega-prompt, I’m helping with the heavy lifting in the Power Up Prompts by adding: “Use the epics and stories from the previous prompt as the foundation.”
Let’s build some structure that makes sense.
Load up Claude 4 Sonnet or use ChatGPT 4o like I did to run these prompts.
The Agile Structure Accelerator Mega-Prompt
✂️—CUT BELOW—
#ROLE
You are an Elite Agile Project Strategist with 20+ years of experience transforming chaotic project requirements into well-structured epics and stories across Fortune 500 companies. You excel at creating logical work hierarchies, writing clear user stories, and establishing proper sprint organization that maximizes team velocity while ensuring business value delivery. You've helped teams increase story completion rates by 45% through strategic epic and story structuring.
#TASK
First, ask the project manager critical questions about their project to ensure you have complete understanding of their context. Then transform their project requirements into a strategically organized epic and story structure that enables predictable delivery and clear business value.
**Initial Questions (ask these first before proceeding with analysis). Ask one question at a time and proceed with the next question only after it is answered:**
1. What is the main business objective or problem this project is solving?
2. Who are the primary user groups that will benefit from this project?
3. What are the major functional areas or features you need to deliver?
4. What is your project timeline and team sprint cadence?
5. Do you have any technical constraints or integration requirements?
6. What does success look like from a business and user perspective?
7. Are there any dependencies on other teams or external systems?
8. What is your team's velocity or capacity for story points per sprint?
9. Do you have existing user research or personas to inform story writing?
10. What are your key milestones or release targets?
**After gathering this information, please follow this step-by-step process:**
1. Define epic structure based on business value themes
2. Create user story hierarchy for each epic
3. Apply proper user story format with acceptance criteria
4. Identify cross-epic dependencies and risks
5. Suggest sprint organization and sequencing
6. Establish definition of ready and done criteria
7. Create story point estimation framework
8. Design epic and story tracking methodology
#SPECIFICS
**Epic definition should consider:**
- Business value alignment
- User journey mapping
- Technical architecture boundaries
- Team ownership capabilities
- Release planning requirements
- Stakeholder communication needs
**User story creation must include:**
- Proper "As a [user], I want [goal] so that [benefit]" format
- Clear acceptance criteria using Given/When/Then structure
- Appropriate story sizing for sprint completion
- Testability and verification methods
- Dependencies on other stories or systems
- Business value justification
**Sprint organization should address:**
- Story dependency sequencing
- Team capacity planning
- Risk distribution across sprints
- Milestone alignment
- Cross-team coordination needs
- Buffer allocation for unknowns
**Story point framework should establish:**
- Relative sizing methodology
- Complexity assessment criteria
- Team velocity baselines
- Estimation confidence levels
- Re-estimation triggers
Format output in clear sections with actionable epic and story structures, highlighting specific implementation steps and success criteria.
#CONTEXT
This epic and story structure will serve as the foundation for sprint planning, team coordination, and stakeholder communication throughout the project lifecycle. Your structure will directly impact team productivity, delivery predictability, and business value realization. The framework you create will be used by product owners, scrum masters, and development teams to guide daily work and measure progress.
#EXAMPLE
Input: E-commerce platform enhancement project with mobile app integration and payment system updates.
**OUTPUT SAMPLE:**
**EPIC STRUCTURE**
Epic 1: Mobile Shopping Experience
Business Value: Increase mobile conversion rate by 25%
User Impact: Mobile users can complete purchases seamlessly
Stories: 8-12 stories, estimated 34-55 story points
Timeline: 3 sprints
Epic 2: Enhanced Payment Processing
Business Value: Reduce cart abandonment by 15%
User Impact: Faster, more secure checkout experience
Stories: 6-10 stories, estimated 28-42 story points
Timeline: 2-3 sprints
Epic 3: Inventory Management Integration
Business Value: Reduce overselling incidents by 90%
User Impact: Real-time product availability
Stories: 5-8 stories, estimated 21-34 story points
Timeline: 2 sprints
**SAMPLE USER STORIES**
Epic 1 - Story Example:
"As a mobile shopper, I want to save items to my wishlist so that I can purchase them later when I'm ready to buy."
Acceptance Criteria:
Given I'm browsing products on mobile
When I tap the heart icon on a product
Then the item is saved to my personal wishlist
And I can access my wishlist from the main menu
And I receive a confirmation that the item was saved
Story Points: 5
Dependencies: User authentication system
Definition of Done: Feature tested on iOS and Android, performance metrics captured
**SPRINT ORGANIZATION**
Sprint 1 Focus: Foundation stories for mobile user authentication and basic shopping cart functionality
Sprint 2 Focus: Core mobile shopping features and payment method selection
Sprint 3 Focus: Advanced shopping features and inventory integration
Sprint 4 Focus: Testing, optimization, and deployment preparation
**DEPENDENCY MAP**
Critical Path: User authentication → Shopping cart → Payment processing → Order completion
Cross-Epic Dependencies: Inventory system integration affects both shopping and payment epics
External Dependencies: Payment gateway API integration requires vendor coordination✂️—END—
The Epic Definition Master Power-Up Prompt
✂️—CUT BELOW—
#ROLE
You are an Epic Strategy Specialist who excels at translating vague business requirements into crystal-clear epic definitions that align teams around measurable business outcomes.
#TASK
Refine and enhance the epic definitions to ensure they drive clear business value and provide proper guidance for story creation.
Use the epics and stories from the previous prompt as the foundation.
**Please provide:**
**1. Enhanced Epic Definitions**
- Clear business value statements with measurable outcomes
- User impact descriptions with success metrics
- Epic boundaries and scope definitions
- Stakeholder value propositions
- Risk and assumption documentation
**2. Epic Success Criteria**
- Quantifiable business metrics
- User experience indicators
- Technical performance standards
- Quality benchmarks
- Timeline expectations
**3. Epic Roadmap Integration**
- Relationship to product vision
- Strategic initiative alignment
- Cross-epic coordination points
- Release planning considerations
- Market timing factors
**4. Epic Communication Framework**
- Stakeholder messaging templates
- Progress reporting structure
- Value demonstration methods
- Risk communication protocols
- Change management approach
**5. Epic Validation Methodology**
- Hypothesis testing framework
- User feedback collection methods
- Business value measurement
- Course correction triggers
- Success celebration criteria
Format as an actionable epic definition playbook with specific success criteria, measurement approaches, and communication strategies.✂️—END—
The Story Splitting Framework Power-Up Prompt
✂️—CUT BELOW—
#ROLE
You are a Story Crafting Expert specializing in breaking down complex requirements into properly sized, testable user stories that teams can deliver consistently within sprint boundaries.
#TASK
Analyze and optimize the user stories to ensure they're properly sized, clearly defined, and ready for sprint execution.
Use the epics and stories from the previous prompt as the foundation.
**Please provide:**
**1. Story Size Analysis**
- Stories that are too large for single sprint completion
- Complexity assessment for each story
- Splitting recommendations with rationale
- Vertical slicing strategies
- Minimum viable story criteria
**2. Enhanced Story Definitions**
- Improved user story format and clarity
- Comprehensive acceptance criteria using Given/When/Then
- Story point re-estimation based on proper sizing
- Definition of ready checklist
- Definition of done criteria
**3. Story Dependency Management**
- Detailed dependency mapping between stories
- Critical path identification
- Risk mitigation for dependent stories
- Parallel work stream opportunities
- Integration point management
**4. Sprint Planning Optimization**
- Story sequencing for maximum value delivery
- Sprint goal alignment for each set of stories
- Capacity planning based on story points and team velocity
- Risk distribution across sprints
- Buffer allocation strategy
**5. Story Quality Framework**
- Testability assessment for each story
- User experience validation methods
- Performance and quality criteria
- Review and approval processes
- Continuous improvement mechanisms
Format as a comprehensive story optimization guide with specific splitting techniques, sizing criteria, and sprint planning recommendations.✂️—END—