# User Story Mapping Quiz

## Question 1

What is the "backbone" in a user story map?

A) The technical architecture that supports the product
B) The high-level user activities, ordered left-to-right (top row)
C) The most critical user stories for the release
D) The dependencies between development teams

<!-- ANSWER: B -->
<!-- EXPLANATION: The backbone is the top row of the map—high-level user activities in sequence (e.g., Browse, Add to cart, Check out). It represents the user's journey at a coarse level. The "body" is the tasks stacked under each activity. -->

## Question 2

What is a "walking skeleton" release?

A) A release that includes all planned features
B) The thinnest end-to-end path that delivers user value
C) A prototype with no backend
D) The first sprint in an agile project

<!-- ANSWER: B -->
<!-- EXPLANATION: A walking skeleton is the minimum set of tasks that lets the user complete the main journey from start to finish. It's a horizontal slice across the map—the smallest viable release. It enables learning and iteration. -->

## Question 3

When building the backbone, activities should be:

A) Technical components (e.g., "API," "Database")
B) User actions or goals (e.g., "Search," "Book," "Track")
C) Screens or pages (e.g., "Homepage," "Settings")
D) Developer tasks (e.g., "Implement auth," "Add tests")

<!-- ANSWER: B -->
<!-- EXPLANATION: The backbone reflects the user's journey. Activities are what the user does—verbs like search, compare, book. Technical components, screens, and dev tasks belong elsewhere; the map stays user-centered. -->

## Question 4

How do you "slice" releases from a story map?

A) Vertically—each column is a release
B) Horizontally—draw a line; above = Release 1, below = later
C) Randomly—stories are shuffled into sprints
D) By team—each team takes a section

<!-- ANSWER: B -->
<!-- EXPLANATION: Slicing is horizontal. The most important tasks sit at the top of each activity column. You draw a line: everything above is Release 1 (MVP), the next band is Release 2, etc. This keeps each release a coherent slice of the journey. -->

## Question 5

Which is a common mistake when story mapping?

A) Starting with user activities
B) Making the map too granular too early—listing every tiny task before understanding the flow
C) Walking the map to validate the sequence
D) Including designers and developers in the workshop

<!-- ANSWER: B -->
<!-- EXPLANATION: Adding too much detail too early makes the map unwieldy and loses the big picture. Start with activities and a few key tasks. Add granularity when slicing releases. Walking the map (C) and including the team (D) are good practices. -->

## Question 6

What does "walking the map" mean?

A) Physically moving around the room during the workshop
B) Reading the map left-to-right as a story to validate flow and find gaps
C) Deleting low-priority tasks
D) Merging similar activities

<!-- ANSWER: B -->
<!-- EXPLANATION: Walking the map means reading it as a narrative: "The user first does X, then Y, then Z." This helps spot missing steps, wrong order, or tasks that don't fit. It's a validation and sense-check step. -->