Can't estimate this story
The vote spread that says the story isn't ready. The fix isn't a sharper card — it's a different conversation.
If the team can't agree on a number, the story isn't ready. Send it back.
Cards spread from 3 to 13 isn't a number disagreement. It's two stories pretending to be one. The 3 voter is seeing one scope; the 13 voter is seeing a different scope. Re-voting won't reconcile them — the work is the conversation about which scope is real.
The fix is rarely "add more detail." More detail produces a longer ticket, not a sharper estimate. The fix is almost always splitting — into a spike if the unknown is the cause, into vertical slices if the unknown is the scope. SPIDR gives you the cut lines.
What's actually happening when the spread is wide
- One person is sizing the happy path; another is sizing the edge cases.
- One person assumes the design exists; another assumes they're designing it.
- One person is sizing the SQL; another is sizing the rollout.
- One person knows the dependency exists; another doesn't.
- One person is sizing for someone in the room; the work belongs to a different team.
Two cards spread doesn't mean the team disagrees — it means the team is voting on different stories.
See: when the story is too big for the related diagnostic; re-voting until everyone gives up for what happens if you don't send it back.