User Story Mapping (Component)
Hierarchical story map template — segment → persona → narrative → activities → steps → tasks — left-to-right user journey with vertical priority for MVP planning and gap identification.
You handed engineering a 200-item Jira backlog and asked them to "figure out the MVP." Flat lists hide the journey: engineers can't see which 20 items deliver end-to-end value vs. polish. A story map breaks work into activities → steps → tasks, prioritizes vertically, and makes the MVP a visible row across the top instead of a guess.
Who it's for: PMs structuring backlogs, design leads visualizing flow, engineering leads scoping MVP, BAs translating workflows into work
Example
"Map a freelance designer's project workflow" → Activities: Negotiate → Execute → Deliver → Invoice → Tasks beneath each (review brief, draft proposal, etc.) → Vertical release lines drawn at MVP / R2 / Future
CLAUDE.md Template
New here? 3-minute setup guide → | Already set up? Copy the template below.
npx ccplaybooks add user-story-mapping# User Story Mapping
Create a hierarchical story map (segment → persona → narrative → activities → steps → tasks) organized as a left-to-right user journey with vertical priority. Visualize *how* users accomplish goals to inform *what* to build.
Not a backlog — a strategic artifact showing the user journey, used to prioritize and identify gaps.
## The Jeff Patton Framework
**Horizontal:** activities → steps → tasks (user journey over time).
**Vertical:** priority (top = MVP, bottom = future).
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What This Does
Provides the structured template for a Jeff Patton-style story map — segment, persona, narrative (JTBD-style), 3-5 activities (backbone), 3-5 steps each, 5-7 tasks each, prioritized vertically with release lines. Use as the artifact; pair with user-story-mapping-workshop for a facilitated session.
Pairs with proto-persona, jobs-to-be-done, user-story, and problem-statement.
Quick Start
mkdir -p ~/Documents/StoryMap
mv ~/Downloads/CLAUDE.md ~/Documents/StoryMap/
cd ~/Documents/StoryMap
claude
Provide segment, persona, and the user's high-level goal. Claude generates the full hierarchical map and proposes release lines.
The Hierarchy
| Level | Count | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Activity | 3-5 | Sequential user actions (backbone) |
| Step | 3-5/activity | Specific user actions within an activity |
| Task | 5-7/step | Granular work to complete a step |
Vertical priority: top = MVP, middle = R2, bottom = future.
Tips & Best Practices
- Activities are user actions, not features. "Monitor progress" beats "Use the dashboard."
- 3-5 activities total. More means you're mixing activities with steps.
- Tasks must be specific. "Do the thing" → "Enter client email in 'Bill To' field."
- Draw release lines. No lines = no MVP clarity.
- Map collaboratively. PM-only mapping kills shared ownership.
Common Pitfalls
- Activities written as features ("Use the dashboard")
- 10+ activities in the backbone (over-decomposition)
- Vague tasks that can't be estimated
- Single priority tier (no MVP vs. future split)
- Solo PM creating the map then "presenting" it