Event Storming, Domain Storytelling and other collaborative modelling techniques are based on scenarios. A scenario is a concrete example of a business process. A detailed scenario tells a lot about a domain. But how do we find a perfect scenario? By Scenario Casting!

In this workshop format, domain experts brainstorm scenarios by writing individual scenario fragments on stickies to illustrate their business needs, feature ideas, problem cases, etc. These fragments are discussed and evaluated together in order to find the most interesting ones (e.g. those that highlight the most important, riskiest and most urgent aspects within the scope). These are then consolidated and put together on a rough timeline.

As a result, we have a sketch of a so called “orientation scenario” that perfectly illustrates all of the aspects of the domain that we need to focus on right now. It can immediately be modeled and fleshed out collaboratively, e.g. through Big Picture Event Storming or Domain Storytelling. The orientation scenario serves as a starting point to find related scenarios that are also relevant (e.g. alternative, negative, or special cases). If it is well-chosen, it serves as a rich and reliable source of information about the domain. As the orientation scenario tells a consistent story across all subdomains involved, the corresponding teams can design and develop their own individual solutions, do so in their own way, yet pull together at the same time.

Scenario Casting works in remote and co-located settings. It works in small teams as well as in large projects with many teams.

Please register to miro.

DDD Coach & Trainer @ WPS GmbH, Hamburg LinkedIn Company Website

Jörn (pronounced “yearn”) helps people and companies to embrace agile and DDD. He loves challenging and ambitious IT projects and enjoys developing and improving lightweight collaborative modeling techniques in practice.