---
description: Organize user stories into a two-dimensional map for release planning
---

# User Story Mapping (Jeff Patton)

Arrange user stories along a horizontal activity backbone and slice vertically into releases. Use when planning what to build first and ensuring each release delivers a complete user journey.

## Steps

1. **Frame the journey** — identify the user persona and their end-to-end goal.
2. **Build the backbone** — list major user activities left to right in chronological order.
3. **Add tasks** — under each activity, list the specific tasks users perform.
4. **Add stories** — under each task, write user stories as vertical cards, ordered by priority (top = highest).
5. **Draw release slices** — draw horizontal lines to group stories into releases; each slice should deliver a walkable end-to-end experience.

## Output Format

A two-dimensional map: horizontal axis = activities and tasks (the backbone), vertical axis = stories ordered by priority, with horizontal lines marking release boundaries. Include a summary of what each release delivers.