Definition of Golden Story

A Golden Story is a benchmark story for estimating others.

Back of a vocabulary card for the term Golden Story

Pronunciation Spelling

GOHL-dun STOHR-ee

Example Sentence

As the story was slightly larger than the golden story, the team assigned the next higher point value.

Significance

Agile practitioners should understand the concept of a “golden story” as it serves as a reference point for relative estimation during backlog grooming or sprint planning (1). It aids in comparing other user stories for estimation purposes, allowing teams to assign story points based on their comparison to this reference story (2). However, overreliance on the golden story without considering specific story details or adjusting for context might lead to inaccurate estimations or hinder creativity in the estimation process. Therefore, familiarity with this term helps practitioners leverage it effectively without solely relying on it for estimation and planning.

Works Consulted

1.
Hart C. You Are Using Story Points Wrong: How to Make Story Points Suck Less [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2023 Oct 1]. Available from: https://medium.com/contino-engineering/you-are-using-story-points-wrong-how-to-make-story-points-suck-less-c641c34ce63
2.
Boer G. Unleash the Power of Story Points [Internet]. 2012 [cited 2023 Oct 1]. Available from: https://visualstudiomagazine.com/articles/2012/11/07/story-points-in-agile-development.aspx