Epic Management & Tracking | Multi-Sprint
Manage large initiatives spanning multiple sprints. GitScrum epic tracking provides roadmap visibility, progress metrics, and story point burn-down.
9 min read
Epics help manage large initiatives across multiple sprints. GitScrum provides epic tracking to maintain visibility on big-picture progress.
Epic Structure
What is an Epic
EPIC DEFINITION:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ HIERARCHY: │
│ ────────── │
│ │
│ INITIATIVE (Optional) │
│ │ │
│ └── EPIC │
│ │ │
│ ├── STORY │
│ │ │ │
│ │ └── TASK │
│ │ │
│ ├── STORY │
│ │ └── TASK │
│ │ │
│ └── STORY │
│ └── TASK │
│ │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ │
│ EPIC CHARACTERISTICS: │
│ ───────────────────── │
│ • Too large for single sprint │
│ • Represents complete feature or capability │
│ • Contains 5-15 stories typically │
│ • Spans 2-6 sprints usually │
│ • Has clear business outcome │
│ │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ │
│ EXAMPLE EPIC: │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ EPIC: User Authentication System ││
│ │ ││
│ │ GOAL: ││
│ │ Implement secure authentication with multiple ││
│ │ providers and enterprise SSO support. ││
│ │ ││
│ │ STORIES: ││
│ │ • Basic email/password login ││
│ │ • Password reset flow ││
│ │ • Social login (Google, GitHub) ││
│ │ • Two-factor authentication ││
│ │ • SSO integration ││
│ │ • Session management ││
│ │ • Security audit ││
│ │ ││
│ │ ESTIMATED: 34 points across 3 sprints ││
│ │ VALUE: Required for enterprise customers ││
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Epic Template
EPIC TEMPLATE:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ EPIC-015: Payment Processing System │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ OVERVIEW: ││
│ │ ││
│ │ WHY: ││
│ │ Enable customers to purchase products online ││
│ │ with multiple payment methods. ││
│ │ ││
│ │ WHAT: ││
│ │ Checkout flow, payment processing, receipt ││
│ │ generation, refund handling. ││
│ │ ││
│ │ WHO: ││
│ │ End customers purchasing products ││
│ │ ││
│ │ SUCCESS METRICS: ││
│ │ • Cart abandonment < 30% ││
│ │ • Payment success rate > 98% ││
│ │ • Checkout time < 60 seconds ││
│ │ ││
│ │ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ││
│ │ ││
│ │ STORIES (15 total): ││
│ │ ││
│ │ MVP (Sprint 14-15): ││
│ │ ☑ Add to cart functionality (3 pts) ││
│ │ ☑ Cart management (5 pts) ││
│ │ ☑ Basic checkout flow (8 pts) ││
│ │ ☐ Credit card payment (5 pts) ││
│ │ ☐ Order confirmation (3 pts) ││
│ │ ││
│ │ PHASE 2 (Sprint 16): ││
│ │ ☐ PayPal integration (5 pts) ││
│ │ ☐ Email receipts (3 pts) ││
│ │ ☐ Discount codes (5 pts) ││
│ │ ││
│ │ PHASE 3 (Sprint 17): ││
│ │ ☐ Refund processing (5 pts) ││
│ │ ☐ Subscription payments (8 pts) ││
│ │ ││
│ │ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ││
│ │ ││
│ │ PROGRESS: 16/50 pts (32%) ││
│ │ STATUS: Sprint 14 - In Progress ││
│ │ OWNER: @product-lead ││
│ │ TARGET: End of Sprint 17 ││
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Breaking Down Epics
Decomposition Strategies
EPIC BREAKDOWN APPROACHES:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ BY USER JOURNEY: │
│ ──────────────── │
│ Epic: E-commerce Checkout │
│ │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ USER JOURNEY: ││
│ │ ││
│ │ Browse → Add to Cart → Review → Pay → Confirm ││
│ │ │ │ │ │ │ ││
│ │ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ││
│ │ Story 1 Story 2 Story 3 Story 4 Story 5 ││
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
│ │
│ BY MVP VS ENHANCEMENTS: │
│ ──────────────────────── │
│ Epic: Search Functionality │
│ │
│ MVP: │
│ • Basic keyword search │
│ • Search results page │
│ │
│ Enhancement: │
│ • Filters (category, price) │
│ • Sort options │
│ • Search suggestions │
│ • Recent searches │
│ │
│ BY HAPPY PATH VS EDGE CASES: │
│ ───────────────────────────── │
│ Epic: Payment Processing │
│ │
│ Happy Path: │
│ • Successful credit card payment │
│ • Order confirmation │
│ │
│ Edge Cases: │
│ • Payment failure handling │
│ • Retry logic │
│ • Refunds │
│ • Disputes │
│ │
│ BY USER TYPE: │
│ ───────────── │
│ Epic: Dashboard │
│ │
│ • Admin dashboard (full access) │
│ • Manager dashboard (team view) │
│ • User dashboard (personal view) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Epic Tracking
Progress Visibility
TRACKING EPIC PROGRESS:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ EPIC DASHBOARD: │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ ACTIVE EPICS ││
│ │ ││
│ │ EPIC PROGRESS SPRINTS STATUS ││
│ │ ──── ──────── ─────── ────── ││
│ │ Payment System ████░░░░ 3/5 On Track ││
│ │ 32% ││
│ │ ││
│ │ Auth System ████████ 5/5 Complete ││
│ │ 100% ││
│ │ ││
│ │ Search ██░░░░░░ 1/4 At Risk ⚠️ ││
│ │ 15% ││
│ │ ││
│ │ Notifications ░░░░░░░░ 0/3 Not Started ││
│ │ 0% ││
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
│ │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ │
│ DETAILED EPIC VIEW: │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ EPIC: Payment System ││
│ │ ││
│ │ SPRINT BREAKDOWN: ││
│ │ ││
│ │ Sprint 14 (current): ││
│ │ ├── ✅ Cart functionality (3 pts) - Done ││
│ │ ├── ✅ Cart management (5 pts) - Done ││
│ │ ├── 🔄 Basic checkout (8 pts) - In Progress ││
│ │ └── 📋 Credit card (5 pts) - To Do ││
│ │ ││
│ │ Sprint 15 (planned): ││
│ │ ├── Order confirmation (3 pts) ││
│ │ ├── PayPal integration (5 pts) ││
│ │ └── Email receipts (3 pts) ││
│ │ ││
│ │ Sprint 16+ (backlog): ││
│ │ ├── Discount codes (5 pts) ││
│ │ ├── Refund processing (5 pts) ││
│ │ └── Subscriptions (8 pts) ││
│ │ ││
│ │ COMPLETED: 8/50 pts ││
│ │ IN PROGRESS: 8/50 pts ││
│ │ REMAINING: 34/50 pts ││
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Epic Roadmap
EPIC TIMELINE:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ ROADMAP VIEW: │
│ │
│ S14 S15 S16 S17 S18 │
│ ─── ─── ─── ─── ─── │
│ │
│ Auth ████ ████ ██── (complete) │
│ │
│ Payment ████ ████ ████ ████── │
│ │
│ Search ████ ████ ████ ████ │
│ │
│ Notify ████ ████ ████ │
│ │
│ ████ = Planned work │
│ ──── = Buffer/contingency │
│ │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ │
│ TODAY: Sprint 14, Week 2 │
│ │
│ MILESTONES: │
│ • End S15: MVP payment live │
│ • End S17: Full payment complete │
│ • End S18: Search + Notifications complete │
│ │
│ DEPENDENCIES: │
│ • Notifications depends on Auth │
│ • Payment Phase 2 depends on Payment MVP │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Epic Health
Managing Large Initiatives
EPIC HEALTH INDICATORS:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ HEALTHY EPIC: │
│ ───────────── │
│ ✅ Progress each sprint │
│ ✅ Stories completing as planned │
│ ✅ Clear path to completion │
│ ✅ No major blockers │
│ ✅ Stakeholders updated │
│ │
│ UNHEALTHY EPIC: │
│ ─────────────── │
│ ⚠️ No progress for 2+ sprints │
│ ⚠️ Scope growing (more stories added) │
│ ⚠️ Stories larger than estimated │
│ ⚠️ Key dependencies not resolved │
│ ⚠️ No clear end date │
│ │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ │
│ EPIC REVIEW (Monthly): │
│ ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐│
│ │ For each active epic: ││
│ │ ││
│ │ ☐ Is progress on track? ││
│ │ ☐ Has scope changed? ││
│ │ ☐ Are estimates still valid? ││
│ │ ☐ Any blockers? ││
│ │ ☐ Is completion date realistic? ││
│ │ ☐ Stakeholders informed of status? ││
│ │ ││
│ │ ACTIONS: ││
│ │ • Search epic: Behind schedule, need to de-scope ││
│ │ • Payment: On track, continue as planned ││
│ └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘│
│ │
│ WHEN EPIC IS BEHIND: │
│ ───────────────────── │
│ Options: │
│ • Add resources (rarely works) │
│ • Reduce scope (MVP approach) │
│ • Extend timeline (communicate early) │
│ • Pause for higher priority │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘