Story-driven modeling is an object-oriented modeling technique. Other forms of object-oriented modeling focus on class diagrams. Class diagrams describe the static structure of a program, i.e. the building blocks of a program and how they relate to each other. Class diagrams also model data structures, but with an emphasis on rather abstract concepts like types and type features.

Instead of abstract static structures, story-driven modeling focuses on concrete example scenarios and on how the steps of the example scenarios may be represented as object diagrams and how these object diagrams evolve during scenario execution.

Story-driven modeling proposes the following software development approach:

Story driven modeling has proven to work very well for the cooperation with non IT experts. People from other domains usually have difficulties to describe their needs in general terms (i.e. classes) and general rules (pseudocode). Similarly, normal people have problems to understand pseudocode or to judge, whether their needs are properly addressed or not. However, these people know their business very well and with the help of concrete examples and scenarios it is very easy for normal people to spot problematic cases and to judge whether their needs have been addressed properly.

Story Driven Modeling has matured since its beginning in 1997. In 2013 it is used for teaching e.g. in Kassel University, Paderborn University, Tartu University, Antwerp University, Nazarbayev University Astana, Hasso Platner Institute Potsdam, University of Victoria, ...