← Back to Blog

Understanding the role and benefits of epics in Agile and Scrum

Try Bonsai - Best Agile Project Management Software
Updated on:
September 5, 2024
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Try Bonsai - Best Agile Project Management Software
Discover Bonsai all-in-one business management software.

Epics are pivotal in Agile and Scrum frameworks, playing a key role in organizing and managing large projects. An epic represents a substantial body of work or a large user story that spans several sprints to complete. The Scrum Team takes these epics and breaks them down into smaller, more manageable user stories that fit within a single iteration.

Using epics in Scrum practices allows developers to refine the product backlog effectively, gather customer feedback, and engage stakeholders. Product Owners can also provide a clear vision for future development. Thus, incorporating epics into Agile and Scrum practices significantly enhances the DevOps pipeline and streamlines the development process.

Introduction to epics in Agile and Scrum

Within the agile methodology, an epic is a significant piece of work that is divided into smaller user stories. These user stories, collectively, are needed to deliver a substantial feature or component in the product backlog. Epics often span multiple sprints, forming an integral part of the Scrum framework.

The Scrum team—comprising developers, product owners, and stakeholders—uses epics during iteration planning. They are driven by customer feedback and can adapt as necessary, showcasing the flexibility inherent in Agile and DevOps approaches.

Source

Definition of an epic

An epic is essentially a large, complex piece of work that aligns with a broad objective. This sizable task is broken down into smaller, actionable tasks or user stories. Epics are central to the agile methodology and critical to the Scrum framework.

They help product owners and stakeholders organize and manage the product backlog efficiently. Developers use epics to plan iterations, breaking them into manageable sprints, and collect customer feedback systematically. In a DevOps context, epics facilitate planning and coordination of more extensive, complex tasks, ensuring efficient workflow management.

How epics fit into the Agile and Scrum framework

Epics are fundamental components of the product backlog within Agile and Scrum. They consist of large tasks that are decomposed into smaller user stories. During iteration planning, the Scrum Team selects these user stories from the epics to work on in upcoming sprints.

Product Owners collaborate with stakeholders to gather customer feedback, which is then transformed into epics and user stories. Developers execute these tasks during sprints. This process ensures a continuous development cycle, aligning with the principles of the DevOps model and maintaining agility throughout the project.

Manage epics in Scrum using Bonsai

Managing epics in Scrum using Bonsai can enhance your project management efficiency. It provides a structured yet flexible framework. Bonsai, an all-in-one business management tool, is well-suited for Agile methodologies, including Scrum, due to its comprehensive features that support every phase of the project lifecycle.

Bonsai's task management capabilities are ideal for Scrum's repetitive approach:

  • You can create and manage epics.
  • Break them down into smaller user stories.
  • Assign tasks to team members.

The platform allows for easy tracking of progress, making it simple to monitor the completion of tasks and identify any issues that may arise. This level of organization is important for maintaining the momentum of sprints and ensuring timely delivery of project milestones.

Bonsai enhances flexibility and adaptability, which are crucial for managing epics in Scrum. The platform allows you to adjust priorities and reassign tasks as needed, ensuring that the team can respond to changes quickly and efficiently. This adaptability is vital for maintaining the agility required in Scrum projects.

Link to Task Management

Another significant advantage of using Bonsai is its support for automated workflows. You can set up templates for recurring tasks and processes, which can be customized for each epic. This automation saves time and ensures consistency across all sprints, allowing the team to focus more on delivering high-quality work rather than getting stuck down by administrative tasks.


Bonsai excels in facilitating communication, a critical aspect of Scrum. The platform includes built-in communication tools that enable seamless interaction among team members and stakeholders. Regular updates, feedback, and discussions can be managed directly within the platform, ensuring that everyone is on the same page and any issues are promptly addressed.


Bonsai's reporting and analytics features provide valuable insights into the performance of each epic. You can generate detailed reports that highlight key metrics, such as task completion rates and team productivity. These insights help in making informed decisions and continuous improvements, which are essential for the success of Scrum projects.

Link to Utilization Report

With the best features offered with Bonsai, you can manage epics more effectively, leading to improved project outcomes and higher client satisfaction. The platform's comprehensive tools support every aspect of Scrum, from planning and execution to communication and reporting, making it an invaluable asset for Agile project management.

Understanding the role of epics

Epics are crucial for managing extensive user stories that can’t be completed in a single iteration. These large tasks are broken down into smaller user stories, managed over multiple sprints by the Scrum Team. Product Owners prioritize these epics in the product backlog based on customer feedback and stakeholder input.

Utilizing epics allows developers to organize tasks more efficiently, ensuring that DevOps processes are smoothly integrated within the Scrum framework. By encompassing related user stories, epics provide a comprehensive view of project objectives, enhancing collaboration among team members and boosting productivity.

Breaking down large projects

Breaking down large projects in Agile involves strategic iteration planning. The Scrum Team divides the project into manageable sprints, while Product Owners prioritize these tasks based on customer feedback and stakeholder requirements.

Developers, working within the Scrum framework, tackle these user stories during each sprint. Agile and Scrum practices, combined with the DevOps approach, ensure continuous delivery and improvement, making even the largest projects manageable.

Organizing and prioritizing work

In Agile, the Scrum Team operates in sprints, using iteration planning to manage tasks effectively. Large tasks are divided into smaller user stories, which are prioritized based on feedback and the product backlog.

DevOps practices facilitate seamless collaboration among stakeholders, ensuring consistent organization and prioritization of work. These Scrum practices enable teams to maintain a structured approach, enhancing the overall efficiency of the Scrum framework.

Facilitating team collaboration

Effective team collaboration or team communication is essential for successful projects, especially in Agile and DevOps environments where rapid development and continuous delivery are crucial. The product owners, developers, and Scrum Team work closely to prioritize user stories in the product backlog, adhering to Scrum practices and the Scrum framework.

Through regular iteration planning and consistent sprints, teams can maintain focus on project progress. Engaging stakeholders and constantly reviewing feedback ensure that the product aligns with user needs.

Creating and managing epics

Creating and managing epics in Agile involves handling large chunks of work encapsulated in user stories. During iteration planning, the Scrum Team breaks these epics into deliverable units.

Product Owners manage the product backlog, prioritizing epics based on stakeholder input to deliver maximum value to end-users. Following Scrum practices and the framework, developers work on these prioritized epics incrementally, utilizing DevOps for efficient delivery.

Identifying an epic

In Agile, an epic represents a significant portion of work, grouping related user stories to manage larger functionalities. These epics are shared with the Scrum Team across multiple sprints during iteration planning.

Product Owners create epics based on customer feedback and integrate them into the product backlog. Developers use these epics to understand and incrementally deliver value, ensuring alignment with the Scrum framework and practices.

Writing an epic: Best practices

Creating an epic is vital for effective iteration planning in Agile. It allows the Scrum Team to break down complex projects into simpler user stories. Product Owners and developers collaborate to prioritize these stories, ensuring efficient management of the product backlog.

Best practices for writing an epic include:

  • Focusing on user needs to meet stakeholder expectations.
  • Regularly revising based on feedback.
  • Maintaining open communication within the Scrum Team.

Breaking down epics into user stories

In Agile, breaking down an epic into user stories is a strategic task. This is done during iteration planning by the Product Owners and Scrum Team, based on feedback from the product backlog.

This process helps the team manage large work segments within sprints, making tasks manageable and measurable. It ensures that the product meets stakeholder needs and allows for rapid feedback incorporation.

Benefits of using epics in Agile and Scrum

Using epics in agile and scrum has several benefits. First, they help the Scrum team break down large, complex features into manageable tasks, called user stories, that developers can tackle in sprints more efficiently. This simplifies the workload, making it easier to see progress. 

Source

Second, epics assist Product Owners in organizing the product backlog, prioritizing work for each sprint, and aligning with stakeholders' strategic goals. This alignment ensures everyone is on the same page. Finally, epics improve iteration planning, enhancing coordination between DevOps and scrum teams. This allows for quicker incorporation of customer feedback into the product.

Improved project management

Project management shines when an agile environment is adopted. Tools like DevOps and Scrum practices bring a new level of flexibility and productivity. Think about it: agile methods allow teams to pivot quickly, improving customer satisfaction and team adaptability. What’s more, agile sprints—those short bursts of focused work—keep everyone on track. 

User stories prioritize the product backlog, making sure the most important tasks are tackled first. Frequent iteration planning means teams can adjust based on customer feedback, continuously improving the product. Product Owners, developers, and Scrum teams all collaborate closely with stakeholders to ensure project success.

Enhanced team collaboration

Teamwork is at the heart of Scrum practices, which are rooted in agile methodology. Scrum teams, made up of Product Owners and developers, work together in sprints to address items from the product backlog. Regular iteration planning helps prioritize work based on user stories and customer feedback, keeping the team focused. 

But stakeholders aren't just watching from the sidelines. Through the Scrum framework, their consistent input and feedback are integrated at various development stages. This fosters effective collaboration, turning DevOps challenges into opportunities for growth.

Increased flexibility and adaptability

Agile methodology boosts flexibility and adaptability in project management. Imagine a Scrum team using sprints and iteration planning to deliver work in small, manageable chunks. This allows for quick adjustments based on customer feedback. The result? A product that evolves with user needs. 

Agile's core elements, like DevOps and user stories, create a direct link between developers and stakeholders. This ongoing feedback loop helps everyone understand the product backlog items and find effective solutions. Agile processes, including Scrum practices, empower Product Owners and Scrum teams to swiftly respond to changing requirements, ensuring the product stays relevant.

Real-world examples of epics in Agile and Scrum

Take an online banking application, for example. A new digital wallet feature might be considered an epic. This epic is then broken down into user stories, covering tasks like integration with existing banking services, security enhancements, and UI development. These stories are divided into workable tasks for sprints. In a retail company, creating a cross-platform e-commerce app could be another epic. 

The Scrum team, along with stakeholders and Product Owners, would break this down into user stories such as designing the app layout, setting up secure payment gateways, and ensuring inventory integration. These stories guide iteration planning and are refined based on customer feedback.

Benefits of using Bonsai for epics

Using Bonsai for managing epics offers a range of benefits that can significantly enhance project efficiency and clarity. Bonsai’s streamlined, visual interface allows teams to break down large, complex epics into manageable tasks, making it easier to track progress and prioritize effectively.

The tool’s user-friendly platform and real-time collaboration features facilitate seamless communication among team members, ensuring everyone stays aligned with the project's goals.

Link to Project Management

In addition, Bonsai's powerful reporting and analytics capabilities provide valuable insights into project performance and resource allocation, helping teams make informed decisions and adjust strategies as needed. By using Bonsai, teams can enhance their ability to manage intricate projects, reduce the risk of oversight, and drive more successful outcomes with greater agility and precision.

Using epics in JIRA Software

JIRA Software is a powerful tool for managing epics in agile methodology. Epics are large pieces of work, broken into smaller parts called user stories, which can be completed in different sprints. For a Scrum team, epics allow for a more organized product backlog, improving iteration planning and the application of Scrum practices. 

Epics also serve as a valuable communication tool for stakeholders, offering an overview of progress in larger work areas. Regular customer feedback helps developers and Product Owners continuously refine and prioritize epics, aligning with strategic directions and delivering value. Under the Scrum framework, using epics streamlines DevOps processes.

Implementing epics in Trello

Trello is another platform where epics can be effectively used with agile methodology. Epics, being large bodies of work, are broken into smaller tasks called user stories. These stories are regularly assessed and modified based on customer feedback and iteration planning. Epics play a crucial role in product backlog grooming. 

Handled by Product Owners, they ensure that the Scrum team focuses on high-priority tasks during sprints while maintaining constant communication with stakeholders. This is an essential component of the Scrum framework, ensuring that work remains focused and relevant.

  • User stories: Small tasks within epics.
  • Agile methodology: A set of principles enabling fast and effective software development.
  • Scrum team: A group of professionals working together to deliver high-quality software.

Common challenges and solutions in using epics

One common challenge with epics in agile is breaking down large tasks into smaller, manageable user stories. Regular iteration planning and active participation from the Scrum team in story breakdown can help. Another issue is effective tracking and management of epics, best handled with a well-maintained product backlog. 

Source

Getting meaningful customer feedback can also be tricky. Implementing DevOps can aid in continuous delivery, providing regular feedback. Engaging stakeholders, Product Owners, and ensuring team collaboration best practices and transparency across developers can also help address these challenges.

Overcoming complexity in epic creation

Creating epics can be complex, but agile methodology, Scrum practices, and DevOps can simplify the process. It starts with the Scrum team creating user stories based on customer feedback, which are then added to the product backlog. Product Owners align these stories with stakeholders' needs and arrange sprints for iteration planning. Throughout, developers use Agile and DevOps practices to address challenges and adapt to changes, ensuring the final product meets user requirements. This interconnected approach helps manage complexity and keeps projects on track.

Ensuring effective breakdown of epics

Breaking down epics effectively is vital for successful agile implementation. It begins with stakeholders and Product Owners collaborating to divide epics into manageable user stories for the Scrum team to work on during sprints. A well-organized product backlog is key to this process. Scrum practices promote continuous iteration planning, development, and incorporation of customer feedback. This iterative approach allows developers to refine the product based on real-world input and adapt quickly to changes, embodying the principles of Agile and DevOps.

Conclusion: Maximizing the value of epics in Agile and Scrum

Effectively using epics in agile and Scrum can significantly enhance the progress and outcome of a development project. When used properly, they serve as a powerful tool for the Scrum team during iteration planning, helping organize user stories in the product backlog. DevOps and developers can use these epics to gather customer feedback, enabling stakeholders to engage more effectively within the Scrum framework. Properly implementing these Scrum practices improves the efficiency of sprints and strengthens the overall agile methodology, ultimately leading to high-value delivery to end-users and making the product more relevant and viable.

Try Bonsai - Best Agile Project Management Software
Related Articles