What is the INVEST format for a user story?

The INVEST format is a set of criteria for a quality user story that helps make it clear and easy to develop. INVEST is an acronym for:

• I — Independent: the story should be as self-contained as possible so that it can be implemented and tested separately from others.
• N — Negotiable: the story should not be rigidly fixed; its details can be discussed and changed.
• V — Valuable: the story should bring value to the user or the business.
• E — Estimable: it should be possible to estimate the amount of work for the story.
• S — Small: the story should be small enough to be completed within a single sprint.
• T — Testable: it should be possible to verify that the story has been implemented correctly.

Using INVEST helps create quality user stories that are easy to plan, implement, and verify.