What Is an Epic in Agile? Examples, Key Features, and Best Practices

Agile teams manage difficult projects by breaking down their large targets into small, manageable parts. Epic is one of the highly important concepts that make this possible. Still, many professionals are wondering what is an epic in agile, how it differs from user stories, and why it is a crucial aspect of successful product development.

Besides the project manager, Scrum Master, product owner, or developer, a good knowledge of epics can help you get better planning, prioritization, and delivery results. 

This article will answer the question of “what is an epic in software development”, give you some great examples, share best practices, and tell you how epics integrate work in Agile structures nowadays.

What Is an Epic in Agile?

The simplest definition of agile epic is:

An epic is a large Agile work item that includes several related user stories, and it is normally delivered through a number of sprints.

So, when you ask what is an epic in agile, it is best to compare it with a major business goal that cannot be realised during a single sprint. 

Instead of doing a complex feature at one time, Agile teams produce in a user story format in parts that they can prioritize, implement, test, and give one by one.

Agile Methodology Epic Definition

The agile methodology epic definition characterizes an epic as a group of related user stories that collectively accomplish a broader business objective. 

For example:

Epic: Online Shopping Cart

Possible User Stories:

• Add products to cart
• Update product quantities
• Remove items from cart
• Save cart for later
• Apply discount coupons
• Calculate shipping costs

These stories, in unison, complete the larger shopping cart functionality that the epic symbolizes.

What Is an Epic in Software Development?

While answering what is an epic in software development in more detail, you can say that an epic is a planning instrument that connects high-level business goals and daily development tasks. 

Usually, features in software development projects are too big to be estimated accurately at the start. Epics help teams:

• Organize large requirements
• Prioritize business value
• Improve roadmap planning
• Manage stakeholder expectations
• Keep track of progress over a series of sprints

Those companies that choose an agile software development process will, in most cases, use epics to coordinate the development work with the future product goals while at the same time maintaining flexibility during delivery.

Epics vs User Stories vs Tasks

There are quite a few beginners who mistake epics for user stories and tasks.

The following table highlights the differences:

Example Hierarchy

Epic: Customer Account Management

User Stories:

• As a new customer, I want to register for the platform so that I can access its services.
• As a user, I want to recover my login credentials so that I can regain access to my account.
• As a user, I want to edit my profile.

Tasks:

• Design registration page
• Create API endpoints
• Implement email verification
• Write unit tests

With this approach, strategic high-level goals are fully aligned with individual development tasks.

Why Are Epics Important in Agile?

Grasping epics in agile is one of the essentials, as they give you the system as well as the freedom.

Key benefits include:

Improved Strategic Planning

Epics connect high-level business goals with development activities.

Improved Prioritization

Teams can prioritize entire initiatives instead of individual stories.

Easier Roadmap Management

Product owners get a more defined image of the progress of the project and the timeline of future releases.

Enhanced Collaboration

Epics encourage sharing a unified understanding of project goals among stakeholders, developers, and management

More Accurate Estimation

Large initiatives become easier to estimate when divided into manageable stories.

Agile Epic Examples

Let’s explore some practical agile epic examples across different industries.

Example 1: E-Commerce Platform

Epic: Improve Checkout Experience

User Stories:

• Enable guest checkout
• Add multiple payment methods
• Implement address auto-fill
• Create order confirmation emails

Example 2: Banking Application

Epic: Mobile Banking Security Enhancement

User Stories:

• Enable biometric login
• Add multi-factor authentication
• Implement fraud alerts
• Create security activity logs

Example 3: Healthcare Portal

Epic: Online Appointment Scheduling

User Stories:

• Search available doctors
• Book appointments online
• Receive appointment reminders
• Reschedule appointments

These agile epic examples demonstrate how major initiatives can be organized into manageable deliverables.

What Are Epics in Project Management?

Many professionals ask, what are epics in project management outside software development.

The concept remains largely the same.

An epic represents a major initiative or objective that requires multiple phases of work to achieve.

Examples include:

• Digital transformation programs
• Customer experience improvements
• Infrastructure modernization
• Regulatory compliance projects

Even non-technical groups utilize epics to break down large projects into smaller chunks that can be planned and monitored efficiently.

How to Create Effective Agile Epics

A poorly written epic can create confusion throughout a project.

Follow these best practices when creating epics.

1. Focus on Business Value

Every epic must address a particular business issue or generate quantifiable value.

Instead of:

“Website Updates”

Use:

“Boost Website Conversion Rates”

2. Keep Epics Large but Manageable

An epic should be large enough to make the case for several stories, but not so big that it defies an estimate.

3. Define Success Criteria

Establish measurable outcomes.

Examples:

• Increase user registrations by 20%
• Reduce checkout abandonment by 15%
• Improve customer satisfaction scores

4. Break Down Early

Eventually, break down epics into smaller stories that can be estimated more accurately by the development teams.

5. Review and Refine Continuously

Agile encourages adaptation. Epics should evolve as customer feedback and business priorities change.

Common Mistakes Teams Make with Agile Epics

Even experienced teams struggle with epics.

Creating Overly Large Epics

Massive epics become difficult to estimate and manage.

Skipping User Story Decomposition

If you do not break epics down into stories, the teams will not have visibility into the progress

Poor Stakeholder Alignment

Business stakeholders and development teams need to have a shared understanding of the epic objectives.

Lack of Prioritization

Not all epics deliver equal value. Prioritization ensures resources are focused on the most impactful initiatives.

Knowing other Agile practices, such as ceremonies in Agile helps to plan, review, and execute epics more effectively.

How Epics Fit Into Scrum

Even though Scrum does not officially recognize epics, a majority of Scrum teams rely on them extensively.

A common structure looks like this:

• Product Vision
• Product Roadmap
• Epics
• Features
• User Stories
• Tasks

Product Owners mostly handle epics within the product backlog and on a continual basis they break them down during backlog grooming sessions.

Experts who want to effectively manage Agile developments tend to find out: how to become a scrum master? to learn more about backlog management, sprint planning and team facilitation.

Tools Used to Manage Agile Epics

Several Agile management platforms support epic tracking and reporting.

Popular options include:

• Jira
• Azure DevOps
• ClickUp
• Monday.com
• Rally

Many companies explore the best Scrum tools when they want to get better insights into epic progress, team velocity, and release planning.

Epics Beyond Scrum

Although commonly associated with Scrum, epics are also widely used in:

• Kanban
• SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework)
• Lean Software Development
• XP (Extreme Programming)

Teams involved with extreme programming in agile often depend on epics to organize customer requirements before they are converted into implementation-ready stories.

Same thing, companies developing complicated products via API development services rely on epics to synchronize multiple integrations, security requirements, and feature rollouts.

Large-scale enterprise initiatives can also include software architecture consulting services to make sure that epics are in line with the technical strategy and scalability goals of the long-term.

Conclusion

Knowing the meaning of an epic in agile is fundamental to successfully planning and executing Agile projects. Epics act as a connecting link between the strategic business goals and the development work that is done on a daily basis. They allow teams to break down large projects into smaller user stories. 

By creating epics clearly, updating them regularly, and making them consistent with business goals, organizations can increase the speed of their delivery, the level of transparency, and customer value. Apart from managing software products, enterprise projects, or digital transformation initiatives, learning to use Agile epics is a crucial step in creating better solutions with Zaigo Infotech.

Frequently Asked Questions