How to Use Story Mapping in Agile Planning to Drive Value Delivery and Validated Learning
Presentation by Howard Podeswa
July 9, 2025, 6:00 PM
In-Person Only
Location: Electric Mind, 200 Adelaide St. West, 2nd Floor, Toronto
Details
– This will be an in-person only event
– To register, please visit EventBrite: Online tickets
– Cost is free
Description
This topic is inspired by Howard Podeswa’s collaboration with Ivar Jacobson, Michael Flynn and others at Ivar Jacobson International to develop The Story Mapping Gameboard – a new agile planning resource hosted on a free version of Essence Workbench. The presentation will provide practical guidance for carrying out the story-mapping steps as described in the resource and provide concrete examples of how to apply the technique in different contexts. A strong focus of both the talk and resource is how to combine story-mapping with other agile techniques and approaches to drive desirable outcomes including: ensuring every interim release (e.g., each sprint or iteration) delivers real customer value; the planning of MVP experiments to test hypotheses about the product or change; visualization of dependencies and gaps; and the splitting of large work items into small, valuable stories.
About the Speaker
Howard Podeswa is a thought leader in the intersection of agile and business analysis. For over twenty years, he has been helping large organizations optimize their BA and product ownership practices in agile environments. He is the author of The Agile Guide to Business Analysis and Planning (Addison-Wesley, 2021), a practical resource for aligning business analysis with agile delivery to drive product value. His earlier books—UML for the IT Business Analyst and The Business Analyst’s Handbook—are widely referenced in the field.
As founder of Noble Inc., Howard has supported clients around the globe, including the ISO, U.S. FDA, Moody’s, TELUS, the Mayo Clinic, UST and Intact Insurance. He has contributed to key industry frameworks and resources such as the PMI Guide to Business Analysis, the BABOK, and IIBA’s Nimble initiative, and is currently collaborating with Ivar Jacobson International on The Story Mapping Gameboard, an Essence Workbench-based tool for agile planning.