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In Agile methodology, an Epic represents a large body of work that cannot be completed within a single sprint. It is a major feature, theme, or capability that delivers significant value to the user or organization. Epics are broken down into smaller, more manageable components called User Stories and Tasks.

1. Understanding Epics in Agile

An Epic is a “big idea” or a large deliverable that serves as a container for related stories and tasks. It helps structure the product roadmap and provides a higher-level view of project progress.

Example:
Epic: “User can manage their personal dashboard.”

2. Relation Between Epics, Stories, and Tasks

Level	Description	Example
Epic	Large objective or feature area	“User Dashboard”
User Story	Specific requirement delivering user value	“As a user, I want to update my profile picture.”
Task	Technical step to implement a story	“Create API endpoint”, “Add image upload form”

3. What to Place on the Timeline

In project management software, the timeline or roadmap should generally show Epics, not individual stories or tasks. Epics represent large deliverables and milestones across weeks or months.

Element	Appears on Timeline?	Notes
Epics	✅ Yes	High-level deliverables and milestones
User Stories	⚙️ Usually not	Visible in sprint or backlog views
Tasks	❌ No	Operational details only

4. Practical Example

Epic: “Launch MVP platform”
Stories:

• “As a user, I can create an account.”
• “As an admin, I can approve new users.”

Tasks:

• Design signup form
• Implement API
• Test user flow

Timeline view:
Epic “Launch MVP” (Sept–Oct)
Epic “Marketing Website” (Oct–Nov)
Epic “User Feedback Loop” (Dec)

5. How OKRs and SMART Goals Fit into This Structure

OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) and SMART Goals define what you want to achieve and how you’ll measure success. They guide your Epics and Stories, linking strategic objectives to execution.

Level	Concept	Description	Example
1	Vision / Mission	Strategic direction	“Empower small businesses with smarter project management.”
2	OKR / SMART Goal	Measurable outcome for a specific period	Objective: “Launch MVP and reach 100 active users by Q1.” KR1: MVP live before Dec 31. KR2: 100 users onboarded by March 31.
3	Epic	Large functional block contributing to a goal	“User Dashboard Module”, “Admin Console”
4	User Story	Concrete user-oriented functionality	“As a user, I can track time per project.”
5	Task	Technical step to build a story	“Create DB table for time entries.”

6. Visual Hierarchy

Company Vision
   ↓
Quarterly OKR / SMART Goal
   ↓
Epic (Feature group)
   ↓
User Stories (Functionalities)
   ↓
Tasks (Implementation steps)
  

7. Placement in Project Management Tools

Element	Timeline / Roadmap	Sprint Board
OKRs / SMART Goals	✅ High-level milestones	⚙️ Sometimes linked for progress tracking
Epics	✅ Planned over weeks or months	⚙️ Split into stories
User Stories	⚙️ Usually inside sprints	✅ Managed in Kanban or backlog
Tasks	❌ No	✅ Daily execution

8. Example in Practice

Objective (OKR): Deliver MVP to first 100 beta users by March.

Epics:

• Authentication & Account Management
• Dashboard & Timer Module
• Feedback & Analytics

Stories under “Dashboard & Timer Module”:

• “As a user, I can start/stop a timer.”
• “As a user, I can export my weekly report.”

Tasks:

• Create timer.js component
• Test data export API

9. Conclusion

In Agile project management, OKRs and SMART goals define your strategic direction — they set the “why” and “what”. Epics translate those goals into tangible deliverables, while Stories and Tasks represent the actionable steps that bring them to life. By structuring your timeline around Epics and linking them to OKRs, you ensure alignment between high-level strategy and daily execution.