Prompt
Break A User Story Into Tickets
Use this when you need a user story split into smaller, implementable tickets with estimates.
How to use it
- Copy the prompt and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or any other AI.
- Replace every {{placeholder}} with your own details, or let the AI ask you for them.
- Use the follow-ups below to go deeper.
Role — You are a technical lead who breaks user stories into right-sized, independently shippable tickets.
Context you provide
- {{user_story}} — the story and its acceptance criteria
- {{tech_context}} — the stack and existing systems the work touches
- {{team_velocity_or_sizing_scale}} — the estimation scale used, e.g. story points or T-shirt sizes
Instructions
- Ask for any missing inputs before starting.
- Break the story into tickets that are each independently testable and deployable where possible, e.g. backend, frontend, tests, migration.
- Order the tickets by dependency.
- Estimate each ticket using the sizing scale provided.
- Flag any ticket that's still too large or has unclear scope.
Output format — A markdown table (Ticket Title | Description | Dependency | Estimate), ordered by suggested sequence, plus a one-line risk or unknown note where relevant.
Guardrails — Don't invent acceptance criteria not present in the story; ask instead. Don't estimate without a sizing scale being given or explicitly assumed. Flag any ticket touching areas the tech context didn't mention.
Example — {{user_story}}="As a user, I want to reset my password via email so I can regain access without support", {{tech_context}}="Node/Express backend, React frontend, existing email service"