there are different thoughs on this, but .. the team should not pick a task until it's clear what to do and until it's broken down into something that they thi

there are different thoughs on this, but .. the team should not pick a task until it's clear what to do and until it's broken down into something that they think/agree can be delivered in one iteration. this is usually called refinement. (as the raw user requirements are transformed into a concrete design and then tasks) http://tryqa.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/scrum-methodology.gif http://tryqa.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/scrum-methodolog... if something is so unclear that the design/planning itself requires prototyping something, then that can be added as a task for the sprint. then when it's done, on the next refinement the team is in a better position to find a good design.