The following are 7 benefits of user story mapping:
Visual of the “Whole”: User story mapping gives a holistic visual and space to think about how things fall in place.
Gap analysis: Teams are able to spot the missing pieces of the puzzle in the solution and can spend time on building solutions.
Sequencing: Teams are able to move stories around on the user story wall to determine the sequence of process that an end user will experience and this enables the team to determine the MUST have stories that get the business intent delivered in an incremental manner.
Priority: This is a critical outcome from the user story mapping session. The ability to sequence and determine what minimally needs to be built so that there can be a clear determination of priority enables the team to create detailed user stories just in time as well as build the user stories just in time.
Avoid waste: Teams avoid gold-plating or building unnecessary features as a result of prioritization as they get a deeper appreciation of the whole solution that needs to be built.
Big Picture: All participants better understand the big picture which leads to better conversation between product and IT teams.
Shared understanding: Story mapping enhances shared understanding of each of the features and user stories for all participants. Everyone is able to connect the dots for how the smallest element (user story), maps to features, the releases and the overall product roadmap.
