As per usual, whether or not user stories are useful greatly depends on circumstances. Having a team( member) that isn't receptive to using them will certainly

As per usual, whether or not user stories are useful greatly depends on circumstances. Having a team( member) that isn't receptive to using them will certainly diminish any usefulness. I imagine they're not super useful if everyone already knows what's being built and why. But I have found them useful in elaborating context. Why are we building Feature X? Because it makes Story Y possible. Note that user stories do not tell you how to build something (not even really what to build), which seem to be a common fear. They're a tool to help you figure out how (and what) to build. If you don't need the tool, don't use it. Also note that there are other people than software engineers who are interested in what's being built. The client. Sales. End users. Testers. Designers. Technical writers. Etc. All of these role are useful in (many) software projects, and it helps if they're all on the same page ...