Jeff Patton's user story mapping turns a backlog into a 2D map: the horizontal axis is the user journey, the vertical is priority. Slice horizontally and you have your next release. Done well it replaces three sprint plannings.
How to run it
- 1
Pick one user persona and one journey (e.g. 'a new customer signs up and runs their first invoice').
- 2
Map the steps left-to-right on a wall.
- 3
Under each step, stack story cards top-to-bottom by priority.
- 4
Draw a horizontal line — that's your next release. Below the line is the backlog.
Where this fits
Pair this with the right venue setting and a matching retreat format. If you want a fully facilitated version, our team can run it for you.