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How to Create a Story

Use the create-story workflow to prepare the next story from the epic backlog for implementation.

When to Use This

Section titled “When to Use This”
  • Before implementing each story
  • When moving to the next story in an epic
  • After sprint-planning has been run

Prerequisites

Section titled “Prerequisites”
  • BMad Method installed
  • SM (Scrum Master) agent available
  • Sprint-status.yaml created by sprint-planning
  • Architecture and PRD available for context

Steps

Section titled “Steps”

1. Load the SM Agent

Section titled “1. Load the SM Agent”

Start a fresh chat and load the SM (Scrum Master) agent.

2. Run the Workflow

Section titled “2. Run the Workflow”
*create-story

3. Specify the Story

Section titled “3. Specify the Story”

The agent will:

  • Read the sprint-status.yaml
  • Identify the next story to work on
  • Or let you specify a particular story

4. Review the Story File

Section titled “4. Review the Story File”

The agent creates a comprehensive story file ready for development.

What You Get

Section titled “What You Get”

A story-[slug].md file containing:

  • Story objective and scope
  • Acceptance criteria (specific, testable)
  • Technical implementation notes
  • References to architecture decisions
  • Dependencies on other stories
  • Definition of Done

Story Content Sources

Section titled “Story Content Sources”

The create-story workflow pulls from:

  • PRD - Requirements and acceptance criteria
  • Architecture - Technical approach and ADRs
  • Epic file - Story context and dependencies
  • Existing code - Patterns to follow (brownfield)

Example Output

Section titled “Example Output”
## Objective
Implement email verification flow for new user registrations.


## Acceptance Criteria
- [ ] User receives verification email within 30 seconds
- [ ] Email contains unique verification link
- [ ] Link expires after 24 hours
- [ ] User can request new verification email


## Technical Notes
- Use SendGrid API per ADR-003
- Store verification tokens in Redis per architecture
- Follow existing email template patterns in /templates


## Dependencies
- Story 1.1 (User Registration) - DONE ✅


## Definition of Done
- All acceptance criteria pass
- Tests written and passing
- Code review approved

Tips

Section titled “Tips”
  • Complete one story before creating the next
  • Ensure dependencies are marked DONE before starting
  • Review technical notes for architecture alignment
  • Use the story file as context for dev-story
Section titled “Related”