epics

Use when breaking architecture into implementable epics and stories with acceptance criteria. This is a Phase 3 workflow that must run AFTER architecture is complete.

Trigger with: "create epics", "create stories", "break down work", "story breakdown", "epics and stories"

Instructions

Agent: Scrum Master (Sam) Input: _bmad-output/planning-artifacts/architecture.md, _bmad-output/planning-artifacts/prd.md, optionally _bmad-output/planning-artifacts/ux-design.md Output: _bmad-output/planning-artifacts/epics-and-stories.md

Step 1: Load Context

Read architecture (required), PRD (required), and UX design (if exists). The architecture is the primary driver — V6 creates epics AFTER architecture so technical decisions inform story breakdown.

Step 2: Identify Epics

Group work into epics based on:

• Feature areas from the PRD
• Technical layers from the architecture
• Dependencies and delivery order

Each epic needs:

• Epic ID (EPIC-01, EPIC-02, etc.)
• Title and description
• Business value statement
• Dependencies on other epics
• Estimated story count

Step 3: Break Epics into Stories

For each epic, create stories that are:

• Independent — can be implemented without other incomplete stories
• Negotiable — details can be discussed
• Valuable — delivers user or technical value
• Estimable — small enough to estimate
• Small — completable in 1-3 days
• Testable — has clear acceptance criteria

Each story needs:

• Story ID (STORY-[epic]-[number], e.g., STORY-01-01)
• Title
• Description (As a [user], I want [feature], so that [benefit])
• Acceptance criteria (Given/When/Then format)
• Tasks (implementation steps)
• Dependencies
• Estimated effort (S/M/L)

Step 4: Order Stories

Arrange stories considering:

1. Dependencies (what must come first)
2. Risk (high-risk items early for fast feedback)
3. Value (high-value items early)
4. Foundation (infrastructure and setup stories first)

Step 5: Draft the Document

# Epics and Stories: [Project Name]

## Epic Overview

| Epic ID | Title | Stories | Dependencies | Priority |
|---------|-------|---------|-------------|----------|

## EPIC-01: [Title]
### Description
### Business Value
### Stories

#### STORY-01-01: [Title]
**As a** [user type]
**I want** [capability]
**So that** [benefit]

**Acceptance Criteria:**
- Given [context], When [action], Then [result]
- Given [context], When [action], Then [result]

**Tasks:**
1. [Task 1]
2. [Task 2]

**Dependencies:** [none / STORY-XX-XX]
**Effort:** [S/M/L]

---
(repeat for each story)

Step 6: Review and Finalize

Present to user. Verify: every PRD requirement maps to at least one story. Every story traces to architecture.

Step 7: Save and Update Status

1. Save to _bmad-output/planning-artifacts/epics-and-stories.md
2. Update _bmad/bmm-workflow-status.yaml: set phase_3_solutioning.epics_and_stories to "complete"
3. Announce: "Epics and stories created. Next: run readiness check (/bmad-cowork:ready) or go straight to sprint planning (/bmad-cowork:sprint-plan)"