What needs to be finished first
A user story or backlog item exists as draft with title, description, and preliminary acceptance criteria.
The story is at Example Mapping maturity (with too few examples) or needs examples for clarification.
What needs to be ready before start
Story in the backlog tool; whiteboard or Miro with columns (acceptance criteria, examples, questions); links to designs, APIs, data models; timer.
Three Amigos: one representative Business/Product (what and why), one representative Development (how), one representative Test/QA (what can break). Maximum four people, otherwise it becomes story refinement.
Story draft incl. acceptance criteria; relevant designs, mockups, API specifications; known edge cases; Definition of Ready.
20-45 min per story
Set timer. Share story URL. Rule: each person speaks from their perspective, no lifestyle talk. Result is a story update with clear acceptance criteria, examples, and open questions.
The one question this method answers
Are what, how, and what-can-break clear enough for the story to be implemented without further refinement?
Marker: Phase
| Step | Duration | Action | Hint |
|---|---|---|---|
1Phase 1: Story walkthrough | 5-10 min | Product explains the story, outcome, and why. Acceptance criteria are read aloud. First clarification questions from Dev and QA are collected. | If the story description needs more than 5 min of explanation, it is not refinement-ready. Split the story or return it to the PO. |
2Phase 2: Examples and edge cases | 10-15 min | Collect concrete examples (Given-When-Then) per acceptance criterion. QA actively asks about edge cases, failure cases, boundary values. Dev checks feasibility. | Three Amigos work together on one story level. If only the PO speaks, the method slips back into briefing. Force active questions. |
3Phase 3: Open questions and risks | 5-10 min | List open questions on the board. Mark assumptions. Mark risks (technical, business). Check against Definition of Ready. | If more than 3 open questions are critical, the story is not ready. Better return it to the PO and do not take it into the sprint. |
4Phase 4: Story update | 5-10 min | Update the story: updated acceptance criteria, examples, open questions, possible Definition-of-Done additions. Create sub-task for open questions with owner. | Without story update, the meeting evaporates. Update directly in the backlog tool, not only verbally. Decide who updates at the start. |
What comes out at the end
Updated story in the backlog tool with clear acceptance criteria, Given-When-Then examples, edge-case list, open questions, and Definition-of-Done additions. Supplemented by links to designs and specifications.
Track story changes through the backlog tool. Add Three-Amigos date, participants, and main result as comment or custom field. For larger changes, archive previous acceptance criteria.
Compact working template for Three Amigos with context, input, output artifacts, and next step.
A short alignment session for a story from business, development, and test perspectives.
When and for what do we use this method?
Which data, observations, decisions, or materials are available?
Short notes along the runsheet.
Owner, date, and success signal.
Concrete filled scenario, fictional example
Concrete filled scenario, fictional example
Participants: PO @anna, Dev @ben, QA @lisa. Duration 35 min.
Outcome: User finds workspaces with desired utilization faster.
Updated acceptance criteria
Examples
Open questions
Definition-of-Done addition
Status: Story ready for Sprint 48 after clarification WS-1247-Q1.
Recognize symptoms and steer against them
PO explains for 20 min, Dev and QA nod, no questions.
Facilitator (or rotating role) forces active questions per acceptance criterion. If QA stays quiet, ask a targeted edge-case question.
Six stories are covered, each superficially, nobody is accountable.
Three Amigos is per story, not per backlog. For multiple stories, use separate slots. Maximum one story per meeting.
List of questions exists, nobody clarifies them before the sprint.
Create sub-task with owner and deadline for every open question. Story remains in status "blocked" until clarified.
Meeting was helpful, story in backlog unchanged.
Make story update the mandatory final step. Decide who does it at the beginning. Keep tool link visible during the meeting.
Discussion remains abstract, edge cases are forgotten.
At least three Given-When-Then examples per story. QA forces edge cases. If examples are impossible, story is too vague.
Done signals checkable in under a minute
Go to the profile for purpose, similar methods, and sources or continue to the next method in the catalog.