Presenters will begin by walking through an example of a project/product vision & roadmap, and of one of the large features of the roadmap being broken down into epic stories. Then we will discuss several paths for how one or two of the epics might be broken down and refined over time, as the Product Owner gathers requirements, prepares for release planning, negotiates with the delivery team, prepares for and participates in iteration planning, and, finally, supports delivery and acceptance.

Then, we give the participants a chance to try it, working in small groups. We will offer several visions & roadmaps to start from, representing examples from IT Department project, legacy system, web app, desktop app, etc. Each group will have a chance to break an epic down, and follow it through a simulated evolution. At each step, we will stop to discuss the thought process behind each group’s choices. The facilitators will have their own examples of how to break down the epics. However, the emphasis will not be on a “right” answer but rather on the right questions and considerations for backlog evolution.