methodatlas
Method guideAgile

Three Amigos

A practical method guide: clarify prerequisites and materials, understand the complete process, and look up outputs, pitfalls, and stop criteria.

ComplexityLow
Time15-30 min
Participants3
FormatWorkshop + async
MaturityCanonical
Plan the work
01

Prerequisite

What needs to be finished first

Complete firstClear working frame

Bring one story, its user context and known open questions.

Without a bounded question or checkable evidence, the result will be unclear.
02

Preparation

What needs to be ready before start

Materials

One story, domain rules or user evidence, existing acceptance examples and access to technical questions.

People / roles

Business/product · engineering · test/quality; add other roles only for a specific need.

Pre-read

Choose materials, data access and participants to fit the research or decision question.

Time needed

15–30 minutes per prepared story; separate research for unresolved questions.

Setup

Open the method-specific structure. Fictional examples are for orientation only; keep the blank worksheet separate from actual findings.

03

Core question

The one question this method answers

Which examples express business intent, technical feasibility and testable behavior?

04

Flow

Phases with goal, actions, output and pitfall

Three perspectives jointly examine one story: business intent, implementation and testability. Examples make assumptions visible before implementation.

Three Amigos working record

Fictional example

Method-specific prompts and a fictional worked example; template prompts remain empty.

Select one concrete story

Choose one story that needs examples or rule clarification.

**Story:** “As a customer, I want to save a delivery address so that my next order takes less time.”

Clarify business behavior

Walk through examples of expected behavior.

**Business example:** A valid address can be selected; an incomplete address cannot be saved.

Check implementation concerns

Name relevant technical and operational constraints.

**Technical question:** Check the existing address model and user permissions before implementation.

Define test examples

State trigger and expected result for each example.

**Test examples:** Valid address → selection is available; missing postal code → clear error.

Agile Alliance describes a Three Amigos conversation across perspectives around a story; examples focus it before delivery.

Three Amigos | Agile Alliance

  1. 1

    Story

    Select one concrete story

    Goal

    Choose one story that needs examples or rule clarification.

    Inputs for this step

    • Bring one story, its user context and known open questions.
    • One story, domain rules or user evidence, existing acceptance examples and access to technical questions.

    Actions

    • Bring a relevant backlog story with known outcome, context and open questions.
    • Record Shared story focus with its evidence status, source or open verification need.

    Output

    Shared story focus

    Shared story focus

    Quality check

    Is the discussion scope clear?

    Pitfall

    The group debates product strategy or an entire system. Narrow the item and clarify intent first.

    Timing: About 10–20 minutes; schedule data or clarification work separately.

  2. 2

    Business

    Clarify business behavior

    Goal

    Walk through examples of expected behavior.

    Inputs for this step

    • Shared story focus
    • One story, domain rules or user evidence, existing acceptance examples and access to technical questions.

    Actions

    • Explain intent and rules; ask for concrete examples and exceptions.
    • Record Examples of desired behavior with its evidence status, source or open verification need.

    Output

    Examples of desired behavior

    Examples of desired behavior

    Quality check

    Do examples reflect intent and rules?

    Pitfall

    Terms are assumed to mean the same thing. Explore concrete inputs, rules and outcomes.

    Timing: About 10–20 minutes; schedule data or clarification work separately.

  3. 3

    Engineering

    Check implementation concerns

    Goal

    Name relevant technical and operational constraints.

    Inputs for this step

    • Examples of desired behavior
    • One story, domain rules or user evidence, existing acceptance examples and access to technical questions.

    Actions

    • Engineering identifies dependencies, risks and open architecture questions without turning the session into solution design.
    • Record Technical conditions and open questions with its evidence status, source or open verification need.

    Output

    Technical conditions and open questions

    Technical conditions and open questions

    Quality check

    Are dependencies and data risks visible?

    Pitfall

    Implementation details crowd out user behavior. Record only decision-relevant risks; plan deeper design separately.

    Timing: About 10–20 minutes; schedule data or clarification work separately.

  4. 4

    Tests

    Define test examples

    Goal

    State trigger and expected result for each example.

    Inputs for this step

    • Technical conditions and open questions
    • One story, domain rules or user evidence, existing acceptance examples and access to technical questions.

    Actions

    • Write observable examples; record open questions, owners and follow-up points.
    • Record Shared examples and next steps with its evidence status, source or open verification need.

    Output

    Shared examples and next steps

    Shared examples and next steps

    Quality check

    Can examples be checked reproducibly?

    Pitfall

    Acceptance criteria are vague. Write explicit condition and observable outcome.

    Timing: About 10–20 minutes; schedule data or clarification work separately.

05

Artifact

What comes out at the end

Sketch: what the artifact looks like

Three Amigos · drei PerspektivenProduct, Development und QA klären Story, Beispiele, Akzeptanzkriterien und offene Fragen gemeinsam
Three AmigosDas Visual zeigt Product, Development und QA, die gemeinsam Beispiele, Akzeptanz und offene Fragen klären.Story-Verständnis vor Umsetzung synchronisierenDrei Perspektiven machen Wert, technische Machbarkeit und prüfbare Beispiele gleichzeitig sichtbar.WertUmsetzungTestskonkretklarklärenProductWarum und WertDevelopmentMachbarkeitQARisiken und BeispieleGemeinsames VerständnisStory, Beispiele und AkzeptanzkriterienBeispiel 1AkzeptanzOffene Frage
Form

Versioned record of question, evidence, result, uncertainty, owners and next review date.

Versioning / ownership

Track date, scope, sources, assumptions and changes; assign an owner and review for ongoing practice or initiatives.

Tool alternatives
  • Paper and pens
  • Whiteboard or simple table

three-amigos-working-template.md

Plan a session or initiative to match the actual scope of work.

Three Amigos: Worksheet

Question

To be confirmed

Desired outcome

To be confirmed

Scope

Prepare the full method Time: 15–30 minutes per prepared story; separate research for unresolved questions.

Complete this worksheet on paper or in your own document during the work.

Preparation for this scope

Method setup

  • Materials: One story, domain rules or user evidence, existing acceptance examples and access to technical questions.
  • Roles: Business/product · engineering · test/quality; add other roles only for a specific need.
  • Advance information: Choose materials, data access and participants to fit the research or decision question.
  • Overall time needed: 15–30 minutes per prepared story; separate research for unresolved questions.
  • Setup: Open the method-specific structure. Fictional examples are for orientation only; keep the blank worksheet separate from actual findings.

Prepare for the work steps

Story: Select one concrete story

  • Bring one story, its user context and known open questions.
  • One story, domain rules or user evidence, existing acceptance examples and access to technical questions.

Business: Clarify business behavior

  • Shared story focus
  • One story, domain rules or user evidence, existing acceptance examples and access to technical questions.

Engineering: Check implementation concerns

  • Examples of desired behavior
  • One story, domain rules or user evidence, existing acceptance examples and access to technical questions.

Tests: Define test examples

  • Technical conditions and open questions
  • One story, domain rules or user evidence, existing acceptance examples and access to technical questions.

Three Amigos working record

Select one concrete story

Choose one story that needs examples or rule clarification.

...

Clarify business behavior

Walk through examples of expected behavior.

...

Check implementation concerns

Name relevant technical and operational constraints.

...

Define test examples

State trigger and expected result for each example.

...

Blank worksheet contains prompts only, with no example data.

Three Amigos | Agile Alliance

Story: Select one concrete story

Expected artifact: Shared story focus

Shared story focus

Entry:

...

  • Is the discussion scope clear?

Business: Clarify business behavior

Expected artifact: Examples of desired behavior

Examples of desired behavior

Entry:

...

  • Do examples reflect intent and rules?

Engineering: Check implementation concerns

Expected artifact: Technical conditions and open questions

Technical conditions and open questions

Entry:

...

  • Are dependencies and data risks visible?

Tests: Define test examples

Expected artifact: Shared examples and next steps

Shared examples and next steps

Entry:

...

  • Can examples be checked reproducibly?

Open questions and next steps

...

Method guide: https://methodatlas.meierhoff-systems.de/en/methods/three-amigos/run-sheet

06

Example output

Concrete filled scenario, fictional example

Fictional example for orientation. Counts and timings describe this case and are not universal requirements.

three-amigos-beispiel.md

Concrete filled scenario, fictional example

Fictional example: save a delivery address

Story: “As a customer, I want to save a delivery address so that my next order takes less time.”

Business example: A valid address can be selected; an incomplete address cannot be saved.

Technical question: Check the existing address model and user permissions before implementation.

Test examples: Valid address → selection is available; missing postal code → clear error.

Open: Does an address change affect orders already being prepared? Record an owner and follow-up date.

07

Pitfalls

Recognize symptoms and steer against them

Quick overview, the full text is in the matching phase in the flow

  1. Select one concrete storyThe group debates product strategy or an entire system.View in phase
  2. Clarify business behaviorTerms are assumed to mean the same thing.View in phase
  3. Check implementation concernsImplementation details crowd out user behavior.View in phase
  4. Define test examplesAcceptance criteria are vague.View in phase
08

Stop criteria

When to pause, resolve prerequisites, or choose another approach

If a perspective is missing or intent remains unclear, schedule a short follow-up with a specific question. Three Amigos does not automatically approve implementation.

Where to go next?

Paper illustration of Specification by Example with a method-specific labelled workspace.
Agile
Specification by Example

Turns the agreed examples into executable specifications.

Story Splitting method illustration showing its working structure
Agile
Story Splitting

Uses a story identified in the talk as too large as the trigger to split.

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