Customer Reviews
A very practical guide to getting started with Agile - By: S. Jack, 22 Sep 2008 
We're just launching a new project, & we'll be using Agile for the first time. I've found this book very useful for telling me exactly what I need to do when. The book is well structured & very readable. As a bonus, it doesn't just deal with how User Stories are Applied, but also has a good writeup about why they work, which I think you'll find useful if you want to convince your boss to try out Agile practices.
The case study at the end ties everything together nicely, my only critisim being that it ends rather abruptly. For a more extensive case study, covering several iterations, & not just the planning stage, see Mike Cohn's other book, Agile Estimating & Planning (Robert C. Martin).
The reality is requirements change and evolve! - By: I. J. Marples, 20 Jan 2005 This book delivers a practical, lightweight solution to requirements gathering & management. User stories can stand-alonein their own right, or can be usedin conjunction with other agile methodologies or techniques. In fact Cohn gives examples of how user stories have been implementedin more traditional IEEE 830 projects with strict audit requirements.
User stories are an agile practice. Like other agile practices, they put the customer at the heart of the process. Agile practices work by communication; by involving the customer they focus on business value. Cohn keeps this underlying principle at the centre of his arguments for adopting user stories.
The book contains information not only about writing user stories but how they fit into, & drive, agile development processes. Cohn favours the SCRUM methodology & XP practices. These are referred to throughout the text & are summarizedin the books Appendices.
At the end of each chapter a summary of responsibilities for developers & customers (along with a summary & a set of questions) are given. If nothing else these will act as a point of discussion, particularly with those who subscribe to the 'big up front design' school of thought.
All chapters are short & to the point. The sections are broken up well & the book gains from having a simple, working example givenin part 4 showing how the techniquesin the first 3 sections are applied to a practical situation.
My opinion is that this is an excellent book, anyone who is undertaking, or involved, an IT project would do well to read this. If nothing else it offers an alternative to 'traditional' waterfall-orientated processes, or no formal requirements management at all (beer-mat specifications).
As a personal recommendation, I would suggest looking at the other titlesin the Addison Wesley Signature Series.
More then a story on stories - By: , 24 Jul 2004 Mike Cohn is one of the founding members of the Agile Alliance. This long term commitment to the agile movement & agile thinking showsin his writings, & this book is no exception.
The book addresses user stories, it investigates the user story from different perspectives, explains thoroughly how to get to the point where the story reaches its conclusion. Then the book goes further. It expands the role of a story into planning of releases & products, making it the centre of software or product development.
A very readable book not only if you want to develop practices around stories, but also if you need an insightin the impact of implementing agile practicesin your environment.
All you ever need to know about User Stories ! - By: Ms. Rachel C. Davies, 20 Mar 2004 
Mike Cohn's book User Stories Applied is an excellent handbook on how to write User Stories & their rolein agile software development. The book covers planning & tracking team velocity against the plan, including how to get started with these techniques. Mike really knows his subject & his book captures useful hints & tips for Customers & Developers based on practical experience with User Stories. I recommend this book to any team who want to get the best from the application of User Stories on their projects.
Excellent "how to" and "why" of user stories - By: Mr. C. J. Ching, 17 Feb 2004 Based on the draft versions of this book, I thoroughly recommend this book if you want to learn not only how to "do" user stories but where they fitin the wider agile development process.
Excellent.
