Customers

Since this is Raleigh-Durham NC, your task is to specify a ROBOTIC BASKETBALL RETRIEVER. Initially the developers don't know that this is the task. You can make this as simple or as elaborate as you like.

The developers will "build" this for you by creating a picture of it. Since you are specifying the picture and not the thing, you should ask for things that are visible (legs, wheels…) rather than not (speed, compatibility with other equipment…)

Things to remember

Describe one "feature" on each card. Discuss these with your co-customer. Try to describe each feature in a single sentence.

The developers draw, you don't. The developers estimate time, you don't.

The developers may ask for clarification and/or respecifying if they don't understand. If they can't estimate a feature you can try to split it into a set of smaller features easier to estimate.

The developers may provide prototypes (sketches) to be sure the specs are understood. This can come either during planning or development.

No one can tell you what you want and no one can tell you to be happy with what you get if you aren't.

The monitors will have a say in whether the developers have delivered what you asked for, however.

You are free to add additional features (one per card) at any time. These will be considered in the next cycle, however, not the current one. When you have a card, give it to the developers for estimating. Try to have the developers working with complete information at all times.

When given a bunch of cards with estimates you may select any set of features (cards) with a total estimated time up to the limit for that cycle. This time will be given to you by the developers (their velocity) and is usually only a portion of the full development cycle time (less than 10 minutes). Choose the features most valuable to you at that point. Give these cards back to the developers so they can begin.

If the developers finish early in a development cycle they may ask you for additional work up to the limit of the remaining time. Use the estimates on the cards to select the features most important to you.

If they don't finish on time, the remaining work goes back into the pile for the next cycle.