jon23d/writing-tickets

Writing Tickets

Overview

A good ticket communicates who needs what and why, defines "done" precisely so any developer can pick it up cold, and explicitly states what is out of scope to prevent assumption-driven expansion.

User Story

Format: As a [persona], when I [context/trigger], I want to [action] so that [benefit].

• Persona — a specific role, not a generic "user." Use the actual actor: admin, new customer, mobile user on a slow connection.
• Context/trigger — the situation that prompts the need. Grounds the story in a real scenario.
• Action — what the persona wants to do. One action per ticket.
• Benefit — the outcome or business value. If you can't state a benefit, the ticket may not be worth doing.

Bad: As a user, I want a button so that things work. Good: As a checkout customer, when I've filled out my cart, I want to apply a discount code so that I pay the promotional price without contacting support.

Acceptance Criteria

Use Given / When / Then for each criterion:

• Given [precondition or state]
• When [action taken]
• Then [observable, verifiable outcome]

Rules:

• Every criterion must be testable — a QA engineer or developer must be able to check it off definitively.
• Cover the happy path first, then key edge cases (empty state, invalid input, permission boundaries).
• Avoid opinions: "should look nice" or "should be fast" are not criteria. Use measurable thresholds: "loads in under 2 seconds on a 3G connection."
• Aim for 3–6 criteria. Fewer may mean the ticket is underspecified; many more may mean it should be split.

Out of Scope

Every ticket must include an explicit Out of Scope section. This prevents reviewers, developers, and stakeholders from assuming adjacent work is included.

• List related features or edge cases that were intentionally excluded.
• List follow-on work that will be handled in a separate ticket.
• If something is genuinely undecided, flag it as a question rather than leaving it implicit.

Sizing

A ticket should be completable within a single sprint. If writing the acceptance criteria reveals more than ~6 criteria covering very different concerns, split the ticket. Link the child tickets to a parent epic or story.

Common Mistakes

Vague persona — "As a user…" gives no context about permissions, goals, or constraints. Name the role.

Missing benefit — Dropping "so that…" removes the business justification. If the benefit is obvious, write it anyway — it prevents gold-plating.

Untestable criteria — "The UI should be intuitive" cannot be checked off. Rewrite as observable behavior.

No Out of Scope section — Without it, developers fill gaps with assumptions. Gaps become scope creep.

One giant ticket — If a ticket takes more than one sprint, it's an epic. Break it down.

Implementation detail in disguise — Acceptance criteria that mention database fields, API endpoints, component names, or architectural choices are implementation specs, not behavioural specs. If a criterion could only be written by someone who has already designed the solution, rewrite it from the user's point of view. The test: could a QA engineer verify this criterion without reading the code? If not, reframe it as observable behaviour.

Example

---

Title: Apply discount code at checkout

User Story: As a checkout customer, when I have items in my cart and am on the payment step, I want to enter a discount code so that the discount is applied to my total before I complete my purchase.

Acceptance Criteria:

• Given I am on the payment step with items in my cart, when I enter a valid discount code and click "Apply," then the order total updates immediately to reflect the discount and a success message displays.
• Given I enter an expired discount code, when I click "Apply," then an inline error message reads "This code has expired" and the total does not change.
• Given I enter an unrecognized code, when I click "Apply," then an inline error message reads "Invalid code" and the total does not change.
• Given a discount has been applied, when I remove it by clicking "Remove," then the order total returns to the original amount.
• Given I complete the purchase with a valid discount applied, when the order is confirmed, then the discounted amount is reflected in the order confirmation email and the order record.

Out of Scope:

• Creating, managing, or expiring discount codes (handled by the admin coupon management ticket #412)
• Stacking multiple discount codes in a single order
• Discount codes applied at the cart step (not the payment step) — deferred to future iteration
• Loyalty points or store credit redemption