Three Amigos

Purpose

Three Amigos ensures that every user story is examined from three perspectives — business, development, and testing — before work starts. This surfaces misunderstandings, missing acceptance criteria, and edge cases early, reducing rework.

At a glance

How to run

1. Select the story (2 min) — Pick a user story that is about to enter development.
2. Business perspective (8 min) — The PO or BA explains the business context, the user need, and the expected outcome.
3. Development perspective (8 min) — The developer discusses technical approach, dependencies, and complexity.
4. Testing perspective (8 min) — The tester identifies edge cases, negative scenarios, and testability concerns. Formulate concrete examples.
5. Capture (4 min) — Update the story with refined acceptance criteria, examples, and any open questions.

Materials needed

• The user story with initial acceptance criteria
• Shared document or story tracker to update in real time
• Example Mapping cards (optional)

Pitfalls & common mistakes

• Turning it into a design session — Stay focused on understanding, not solutioning.
• Only two amigos show up — All three perspectives are needed; reschedule if one is missing.
• No examples — Abstract criteria lead to interpretation drift; always produce at least 3 concrete examples.
• Running it too late — Hold the session before the item enters the Sprint, not after development has started.

Inclusion & accessibility

• Share the story 24 hours in advance so all participants can prepare.
• Rotate who leads the session to prevent one perspective from dominating.
• Document outcomes in writing, not just verbally.

Variations

• Example Mapping — Structure the Three Amigos conversation using coloured cards for rules, examples, and questions.
• Four Amigos — Add a UX designer for stories with significant user-interface impact.
• Async Three Amigos — Each amigo adds their perspective to a shared doc asynchronously; sync only if conflicts arise.

When NOT to use this

• For trivial bug fixes or well-understood chores where all three perspectives would add no new insight.
• If the team already does thorough Backlog Refinement that covers all three perspectives.

Source & further reading

• Adzic, G. (2009). *Bridging the Communication Gap*. Neuri.
• Wynne, M. & Hellesoy, A. (2012). *The Cucumber Book*. Pragmatic Bookshelf.