Applying DevCloud to Agile Practices: User Stories, Requirements, and Workflow Management

The author, working in Huawei Cloud DevCloud, introduces a series titled "I am in DevCloud" that documents how the DevCloud team applies lean‑agile DevOps practices and uses the DevCloud toolset for practical implementation.

The series outlines topics such as demand gathering, estimation, planning, development, testing, inspection, integration, and delivery, emphasizing that these practices are demonstrative for the team and may not be universally applicable.

Adopting user stories is highlighted as a core technique. The article explains the benefits of user stories—promoting conversation over documentation, improving stakeholder understanding, fitting iteration planning, encouraging prioritization, and supporting evolving requirements. The standard three‑part format (As a , I want to , so that ) is presented, along with the importance of capturing Who, Why, and What.

The author describes how DevCloud supports story templates and how stories become work items that can be displayed as cards, lists, or trees. The 3C principle (Card, Conversation, Confirmation) from Ron Jeffries is detailed, stressing the need for face‑to‑face or virtual discussions, recording conclusions, and using confirmations as testable acceptance criteria.

Methods for creating and collecting user stories are discussed, including user interviews, story‑writing workshops, questionnaires, and observation. The article outlines the Epic‑Feature‑Story hierarchy and the INVEST criteria for well‑formed stories, as well as how stories can be further broken down into tasks.

Non‑functional and technical requirements are addressed, noting their importance for product success and suggesting the use of tags to categorize such requirements without overcomplicating work‑item types.

Potential "bad smells" in user stories are listed, such as overly large backlogs, lack of communication, excessive detail, missing target users or value, and difficulty prioritizing.

Additional practical advice includes asking for concrete timelines, considering cost when prioritizing, deferring detailed specifications until the last responsible moment, and choosing between physical cards and digital tools for story collection.

The article concludes with a brief summary, references to further reading, and a link to Huawei Cloud best‑practice documentation.