Targetprocess: Manage an Incomplete Story

If a Story is incomplete at the end of an Iteration, it may need to be moved to another Iteration, postponed, or canceled. 

If a Feature or Dependency will be delayed, the Scrum Coach should communicate with the Product Owner and Product Manager. They may need to adjust priorities.

Determine what needs to happen with the incomplete Story.

• Continue Working on a Story
• Split a Story
• Postpone a Story
• Cancel a Story

Continue Working on a Story

If the work is continuing into the next Iteration, simply move it in the same State to the next Iteration.

1. Navigate to Iteration Planning.
   1. Expand Teams, then Team Overview, then select Iteration Planning from the left navigation menu.
2. If necessary, use the Team filter to show the appropriate Team.
3. Select and drag the Story to the appropriate Iteration.

Split a Story

If the scope of the work has changed, it may make sense to split the Story into multiple Stories. This is accomplished by adding a new Story and modifying the current Story as needed.

The Story article on the SAFe® website includes guidance on using the INVEST model to appropriately chunk and split Stories.

Postpone a Story

1. Navigate to Iteration Planning.
   1. Expand Teams, then Team Overview, then select Iteration Planning from the left navigation menu.
2. If necessary, use the Team filter to show the appropriate Team.
3. Select and drag the Story to the Backlog.
4. Change the Story State if necessary. 
   1. Open the Story.
   2. Expand the State section.
   3. Select the appropriate State.

Cancel a Story

When work for a Story has not been completed and that Story is no longer needed, the Story can be canceled. 

1. Navigate to Team Kanban.
   1. Expand Teams, then Team Overview, then select Team Kanban from the left navigation menu.
2. Select the Story to open the details.
3. Expand the State section on the right. The states will open in a dropdown list. 
4. Select the Canceled state.