Epic

An epic is a large body of work that is too big to deliver in a single iteration and is broken down into smaller items, typically user stories or features. Epics help teams and stakeholders group related work under one goal and plan it across several iterations or releases.

There is no fixed size for an epic; it is simply larger than what fits in one sprint. As work progresses, an epic is progressively refined into smaller, estimable pieces. Epics are common in agile backlog management and in scaled frameworks, where they connect day-to-day delivery to bigger objectives.

Related: feature, story point, product owner.

Last updated: 4 July 2026 · By Tom, PMP-certified since 2004

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