Epic vs Story

Definition

It is a piece of work that’s broken down into specific tasks based on the needs of customers or end-users.

User story is a piece of functionality from the perspective of an end-user, which developers use to build the software.

Scope

Its scope is along multiple sprints

Its scope is within a given iteration/sprint

Duration

It is long term

It is short term.

Relation

It provides foundation to user stories

It is a subset of epics.

Target

It represents a part of work for achieving the task

It represents a specific and manageable task.

Granularity

It is less detailed

It is more detailed

Span

Epics span multiple functionalities or modules within a software system.

User Story is small and focused for a particular feature.

Format

Epics are typically written in a brief, high-level format and can be used for building user stories

User Story is typically written in a specific format addressing what features need to be developed in each sprints.

Dependency

Epics can be prioritized based on business value or strategic importance.

It is independent, meaning they can be implemented and tested in isolation.

Management

The product backlog is used to manage epics, which are ranked according to their total commercial value.

User stories are a component of the sprint backlog, prioritized for the next sprint.