gh-sjnims-requirements-expert-plugins-requirements-expert/skills/epic-identification/references/discovery-techniques.md

Epic Discovery Techniques

This reference provides detailed guidance on six techniques for identifying epics from a product vision. Use these techniques individually or in combination to ensure comprehensive epic coverage.

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1. User Journey Mapping

Map the end-to-end journeys users will take through your product to identify the major capabilities needed at each stage.

When to Use

• Product has clear user workflows or processes
• Multiple user touchpoints exist
• User experience is a primary concern

Process

1. Identify Key User Types: List the primary personas who will use the product
2. Map Entry Points: How do users first encounter or access the product?
3. Trace Core Workflows: What steps do users take to achieve their goals?
4. Identify Exit Points: How do users complete their journey or leave?
5. Note Pain Points: Where might users struggle or need support?

Epic Extraction

Each major stage or transition in the journey often maps to an epic:

• Onboarding Journey → "User Onboarding & Registration" epic
• Core Activity → "Content Creation" or "Data Entry" epic
• Review/Analysis → "Analytics & Reporting" epic
• Sharing/Export → "Collaboration & Sharing" epic

Example

For a project management tool:

Journey Stage	Epic Candidate
Sign up and setup	User Onboarding
Create first project	Project Management
Add team members	Team Collaboration
Track progress	Progress Tracking & Reporting
Complete and archive	Project Lifecycle Management

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2. Capability Decomposition

Break down the vision into the 5-10 major things the product must do, grouping related functionality into logical capabilities.

When to Use

• Vision describes what the product should accomplish
• Product has distinct functional areas
• Technical and business stakeholders need alignment

Process

1. List Vision Outcomes: What does the vision say the product will enable?
2. Identify Required Capabilities: What must the product DO to deliver those outcomes?
3. Group Related Functions: Cluster similar or dependent capabilities together
4. Name the Groups: Give each cluster a capability name (noun phrase)
5. Validate Coverage: Does each vision outcome map to at least one capability?

Epic Extraction

Each capability group becomes an epic candidate:

• Group of authentication functions → "User Authentication & Authorization" epic
• Group of data handling functions → "Data Import/Export" epic
• Group of team features → "Collaboration Features" epic

Example

Vision: "Enable small businesses to manage customer relationships effectively"

Capability Group	Functions Included	Epic
Contact Management	Add, edit, search, segment contacts	Customer Data Management
Communication	Email, call logging, notes	Customer Communication
Pipeline	Deals, stages, forecasting	Sales Pipeline
Reporting	Dashboards, exports, analytics	Analytics & Reporting

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3. Stakeholder Needs Analysis

Examine what different user types and stakeholders need from the product to identify role-specific capabilities.

When to Use

• Multiple user roles exist (admin, end-user, manager)
• Different stakeholders have different needs
• Access control or permissions are important

Process

1. List All Stakeholders: End users, admins, managers, external parties
2. Document Each Role's Needs: What does each stakeholder need to accomplish?
3. Identify Unique Capabilities: What capabilities are specific to certain roles?
4. Find Shared Capabilities: What do multiple roles need?
5. Map to Epics: Group needs into capability-based epics

Epic Extraction

Role-specific needs often reveal epics:

• Admin needs → "User Management", "System Configuration" epics
• Manager needs → "Reporting & Analytics", "Team Oversight" epics
• End-user needs → "Core Workflow", "Personal Settings" epics

Example

Stakeholder	Key Needs	Epic Candidates
End User	Create content, collaborate	Content Creation, Collaboration
Team Lead	Monitor progress, assign work	Team Management, Reporting
Admin	Manage users, configure system	User Management, System Settings
External Partner	View shared content	External Sharing & Access

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4. Technical Enablers Identification

Identify infrastructure, platform, or foundational capabilities required to support user-facing features.

When to Use

• Product requires significant technical foundation
• Integrations with external systems are needed
• Performance, security, or scalability are critical

Process

1. Review User-Facing Epics: What technical capabilities do they require?
2. Identify Shared Infrastructure: What technical needs appear across multiple epics?
3. List External Dependencies: What third-party systems must be integrated?
4. Consider Non-Functional Requirements: Security, performance, compliance
5. Create Technical Epics: Group infrastructure needs into coherent epics

Epic Extraction

Technical needs become infrastructure epics:

• Authentication/authorization needs → "Identity & Access Management" epic
• External system connections → "Third-party Integrations" epic
• Data synchronization needs → "Data Pipeline & Sync" epic
• Performance requirements → "Performance & Scalability" epic

Example

Technical Need	Scope	Epic
User authentication	SSO, MFA, session management	Identity & Access Management
Payment processing	Stripe, PayPal integration	Payment Integration
File storage	Upload, CDN, versioning	File Management Infrastructure
Search	Full-text, filters, indexing	Search Infrastructure

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5. Value Stream Mapping

Trace the flow of value from initial input to final outcome to identify where major capabilities are needed.

When to Use

• Product transforms inputs into valuable outputs
• Process efficiency is important
• Multiple handoffs or stages exist

Process

1. Identify Value Input: What enters the system? (data, requests, content)
2. Trace Transformations: How is the input processed and transformed?
3. Map Value Additions: Where is value added at each stage?
4. Identify Outputs: What valuable outputs are produced?
5. Extract Capabilities: What capabilities enable each value-adding step?

Epic Extraction

Each value-adding stage suggests an epic:

• Input stage → "Data Ingestion" or "Content Upload" epic
• Processing stage → "Data Processing" or "Workflow Engine" epic
• Output stage → "Report Generation" or "Export & Delivery" epic

Example

For a document processing product:

Value Stage	Activity	Epic
Input	Upload documents	Document Ingestion
Processing	Extract data, validate	Document Processing
Enrichment	Add metadata, classify	Document Intelligence
Output	Generate reports, export	Reporting & Export
Storage	Archive, retrieve	Document Management

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6. Gap Analysis

Compare the current state (or competitor offerings) with the desired future state to identify capability gaps that become epics.

When to Use

• Replacing or improving an existing system
• Competitive analysis has been done
• Clear "before and after" vision exists

Process

1. Document Current State: What exists today? What can users do now?
2. Define Future State: What should users be able to do?
3. Identify Gaps: What's missing between current and future?
4. Prioritize Gaps: Which gaps are most critical to close?
5. Convert to Epics: Each significant gap becomes an epic

Epic Extraction

Gaps become epics:

• Missing capability → New epic for that capability
• Insufficient capability → Enhancement epic
• Broken capability → Fix/rebuild epic

Example

Current State	Future State	Gap	Epic
Manual data entry	Automated import	Automation	Data Import Automation
Basic reports	Interactive dashboards	Visualization	Analytics Dashboard
Email notifications	Multi-channel alerts	Channels	Notification System
No mobile access	Full mobile app	Platform	Mobile Application

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Combining Techniques

For comprehensive epic identification, use multiple techniques:

1. Start with User Journey Mapping to understand the user perspective
2. Apply Capability Decomposition to ensure technical completeness
3. Use Stakeholder Needs to catch role-specific requirements
4. Add Technical Enablers for infrastructure epics
5. Validate with Gap Analysis to ensure nothing is missed

Cross-reference results from different techniques to validate epic completeness and identify any gaps.

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Quick Reference

Technique	Best For	Key Question
User Journey Mapping	UX-focused products	"What journey do users take?"
Capability Decomposition	Feature-rich products	"What must the product DO?"
Stakeholder Needs	Multi-role products	"What does each role need?"
Technical Enablers	Complex integrations	"What infrastructure is required?"
Value Stream Mapping	Process-oriented products	"How does value flow?"
Gap Analysis	Replacements/upgrades	"What's missing today?"