Tell Us a Story

The story cards contain simple and small tasks such as "Find a missing card from a deck" or "Inflate five balloons to a size of 40 cm." No special knowledge is required to understand how to carry out these tasks.

And yet, the cards alone do not contain enough information to estimate the complexity of the tasks. The players ask the coach (acting as their customer) more questions about the tasks for example: "Are we allowed to perform the task as a team?" "What do you mean by throw a six five times? Do we need five consecutive sixes?" The coach clarifies the meaning of the stories and explains what conditions must be fulfilled to accept the story.

This reinforces the idea that user stories aren't specifications but "a promise to talk." It's all right to ask the customer questions. Get as much information as you need to make good decisions. Ask the customer they know! Or at least they can find out the answer.