Example of epic

Understanding the Concept of Epics in Agile Product Backlog Management

The concept of epics in agile can sometimes be misunderstood, particularly in the context of product backlog management. In this article, we will explore an example of an epic in scrum to gain a clear understanding of what it entails.

Epics serve as a way to capture high-level ideas and concepts within the product backlog. An epic can be further broken down into multiple user stories or even remain as a single user story. For a more comprehensive understanding of this concept, I recommend reading the article titled “Agile Epic Definition”.

You can also watch a concise explanation of epics in this brief Agile Minute video:

Our video explains the concept of an epic with English subtitles (originally in French)

Example of an Epic

To provide a clear example of an epic, let’s delve into a simple illustration. An epic is essentially a high-level expression used to define a functional idea.

As depicted in the image above, the concept of an epic is straightforward. Unlike user stories, epics do not delve into detailed specifications; those specifics are captured within the user stories that are subsequently created beneath these epics.

In some cases, teams treat epics as equivalent to features.

Is an Epic Just a Label?

Yes, an epic serves as the initial idea to enhance or build your product. Adding extensive content or management rules within an epic can lead to duplication of content with future user stories. Such duplication can result in inconsistencies, particularly if updates are made to user stories without corresponding updates to their associated epics.
If you find yourself needing to capture ideas for fear of forgetting them, it is advisable to create small user stories directly. Remember, user stories can evolve over time and don’t need to be fully fleshed out from the outset.

In conclusion, an epic is essentially a simple label. Its form should be maintained as such. If you need to document ideas, consider creating user stories instead. This example of an epic provides a straightforward illustration to aid in understanding the concept.

Useful Link: Advanced Story Mapping in Agile Framing (French)