Epic

Epic Definition

An epic, in the context of Agile project management, refers to a large body of work that can be broken down into smaller, more manageable pieces called user stories. It is a method used to organize and prioritize work in Agile development.

What is an Epic in Agile?

In Agile project management, an epic is a significant and substantial piece of work that cannot be completed within a single iteration or sprint. It represents a large and complex feature or functionality that requires multiple iterations to implement fully. Epics are used to break down a project into smaller, more manageable units, allowing teams to plan and execute work incrementally.

Epic Examples

To better understand the concept of an epic, let’s consider a few examples.

1. E-commerce Platform Development: In the context of developing an e-commerce platform, an epic could be “User Registration and Authentication.” This epic encompasses various user stories such as “User Registration,” “Login,” “Forgot Password,” and “Account Verification.” Each of these user stories represents a smaller, more manageable piece of work that contributes to the completion of the epic.
2. Mobile App Development: Suppose a team is developing a mobile app for a fitness tracking platform. An epic in this scenario could be “Workout Tracking.” This epic would include user stories like “Record Exercise Data,” “Track Distance and Duration,” “Calculate Calories Burned,” and “Generate Workout Reports.” By breaking down the epic into these user stories, the team can prioritize and work on each one incrementally.

Benefits of Using the Theme-Epic-Story Development Framework

The theme-epic-story development framework provides several benefits in Agile project management:

1. Improved Planning and Prioritization: By breaking down work into epics and user stories, teams can better plan and prioritize their tasks. Epics allow for a high-level overview of the project, while user stories provide a detailed breakdown of the work required.
2. Incremental Delivery: Epics enable teams to deliver value incrementally. Instead of waiting for the entire project to be completed, stakeholders can start benefiting from the delivered features as soon as the first user stories are completed.
3. Flexibility and Adaptability: The theme-epic-story framework allows for flexibility and adaptability in project execution. As new information or requirements emerge, teams can easily adjust their plans and re-prioritize work at the epic or user story level.

What is Epic in Scrum?

In Scrum, an epic is a large user story that cannot be completed within a single sprint. It represents a significant piece of work that requires multiple sprints to implement fully. Epics are typically broken down into smaller user stories during the sprint planning process.

What is an Epic vs Feature?

While epics and features are related terms, they have distinct differences. An epic is a large body of work that encompasses multiple user stories and cannot be completed within a single iteration. On the other hand, a feature is a smaller, self-contained piece of functionality that can be completed within a single iteration or sprint. Features are often derived from epics and represent a more granular level of work.

Wrap Up

An epic in Agile project management refers to a large body of work that cannot be completed within a single iteration or sprint. It is a method used to organize and prioritize work, allowing teams to break down complex features or functionalities into smaller, more manageable units. By using the theme-epic-story development framework, teams can improve planning, deliver value incrementally, and adapt to changing requirements effectively.