Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://documentation.decisions.com/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

User Stories

  • Updated on Jul 9, 2026
  • Published on Apr 28, 2026
  • 8 minute(s) read
Prev Next

Overview 

User stories represent discrete units of work that are typically assigned to developers by users with administrative permissions in Decisions; often, project leads are granted such access. These are used to plan, track, and complete development tasks, such as building flows, forms, or tests, and are directly tied to the deployment process. 

All user stories reside under Projects, which are identified by a unique prefix (e.g., LOD-0001). This prefix helps keep story identifiers unique across the platform. Stories are organized within Sprints, providing a time-boxed view of upcoming or in-progress work, and are associated with Builds, which package the changes for testing and deployment.

The purpose of a user story is two-fold:

  • For admins: To assign work, capture requirements, and track progress.
  • For developers: To receive clear instructions, carry out tasks, and ensure changes are associated with deployments.
Note
Once user stories are created and assigned, developers can begin working on them. For details on executing user stories, including starting work, committing changes, and managing the review process, see User Story Workflow.

Requirements

User stories rely on a few foundational elements:

  • Projects and Prefixes: Every story belongs to a Project that defines a unique prefix.
  • Sprints: Stories can be grouped into Sprints to track progress iteratively.
  • Builds: Completed work is included in builds for validation and deployment across environments.

Creating User Stories

There are three primary methods to create user stories:

PMIS Import

User stories can be imported from supported Project Management Information Systems (PMIS), such as Jira and Azure DevOps. PMIS connections are configured on the Deployment Server from Settings > Integrations > PMIS. Once configured, imported user stories can be synced with the connected Development Server to support project tracking and deployment workflows.

Note:
Before importing user stories, ensure that the required PMIS connection is configured and active. For configuration details, see Configuring a Jira PMIS Connection or Configuring an Azure DevOps PMIS Connection.

After the PMIS connection is configured, user stories can be imported into a Sprint from either the Development Server or the Deployment Server.

Importing User Stories on the Development Server
  1. Navigate to the target Sprint in the Release Management folder.
  2. Click Import User Stories.
  3. Select the configured Jira or Azure DevOps PMIS connection.
  4. In the Select Sprint dialog, select the board and the sprint to import from.
  5. Click Continue.
  6. Review the returned work items from the external PMIS system.
  7. Select or deselect the items to import.
  8. Click Import to create the selected items as User Stories in Decisions.
Importing User Stories on the Deployment Server
  1. On the Deployment Server, navigate to Folders > All Organizations.
  2. Open the organization that contains the project you intend to work on.
  3. Open the target Project. The project contains dashboards such as User Stories, Sprints, Resources, Commits, and Folder View.
  4. Go to the Sprints dashboard.
  5. If the required sprint is not available, import the sprint first. For details, see the Sprints document.
  6. After the sprint is available, right-click the sprint to Import User Stories or open the sprint to view the sprint dashboard.
  7. From the sprint dashboard, click Import User Stories.
  8. In the Select Sprint dialog, select the Board and Sprint.
  9. Click Continue.
  10. Review the returned work items from the external PMIS system.
  11. Select or deselect the items to import.
  12. Click Import to create the selected items as User Stories in Decisions.
Important Note

User stories imported from external PMIS systems can only be tied to one Decisions Project. This prevents the same external user story from being imported into multiple Projects.

For details on active PMIS connection behavior, see Active PMIS Connection Behavior.

Manual Creation

Stories can be created one at a time through the platform UI:

  1. Navigate to the Release Management folder, click on the Sprints section, and select the Sprint where the user story should be added.
  2. Click Create User Story.
  3. Fill in the following details: Each user story includes a set of core attributes that help define the scope of work and track its progress through development:
    1. Title: A brief, clear name for the story.
    2. Description: A detailed explanation of the work to be done or the problem to be solved.
    3. Priority: Indicates the importance or urgency of the task (e.g., Urgent, High, Medium, Low).
    4. Due Date: The target completion date for the story.
    5. Estimated Time to Completion: An estimate (in hours) for how long the work is expected to take.
    6. Assigned To: Each story is assigned to a single developer.
    7. Documents (optional): Attach supporting files while creating the user story, when applicable.
    8. Include in Current Deployment (optional checkbox): When selected, this includes the user story in the current deployment package.
      Important Note
      Once "Include in Current Deployment" is set to True and the user story is saved, it cannot be removed from the current Deployment Package. This flag is synced with the Deployment Server and is non-reversible within the current cycle.
    9. Acceptance Criteria: Describes what must be true for the story to be considered complete.
    10. Completion Criteria: Clarifies the definition of “done” from a delivery standpoint. These attributes ensure alignment between the stakeholders who assign the work and the developers who execute it.

Bulk Import via CSV

Multiple user stories can be created simultaneously using a CSV import wizard:

  1. Navigate to the Release Management folder, click on the Sprints section, and select the Sprint where the user story should be added.
  2. Click "Import User Stories". This will open the "Import User Stories" dialog.
  3. Download the sample file.
  4. Populate it with story data (Name, description, priority, etc.).
  5. Upload the file to bulk create user stories, then click "Import".
    1. A dialog will appear, allowing inline edits. Once finalized, click "Import" to complete the creation process. 
Note
After bulk uploading, the Edit action can be used on individual user stories to modify any information as needed.

Once User stories are created or imported, they will appear on the Sprint Dashboard.

Deployment Integration

User stories can be created and managed on the Development Server or directly on the Deployment Server. Regardless of where a story originates, it stays synced between both servers to ensure traceability and alignment with deployment pipelines.

“Include in Current Deployment” can be set in one of three ways:

  • Selecting the toggle during user story creation.
  • Selecting the toggle while editing an existing user story.
  • On the Development Server, navigate to the Release Management folder, open User Stories, and right-click a user story to select “Include in Current Deployment”.

If the checkbox is selected or the action is applied and the user story is subsequently checked into the Deployment Server, a build will be automatically generated on the Deployment Server within the associated Deployment Package.

This automation streamlines deployment planning by ensuring that completed and approved work is automatically packaged for validation, testing, and release.

Resources
Organization
Connect