When software teams aim for better collaboration, fewer defects, and faster delivery cycles, one agile practice often gets overlooked despite its proven effectiveness: the 3 amigos agile approach. This technique, which brings together three crucial perspectives—business, development, and testing—creates a shared understanding of what needs to be built, how it should behave, and how to validate it.
In the fast-paced world of agile development, miscommunication or assumption gaps between team members can lead to wasted work and frustration. The 3 amigos agile model serves as a proactive bridge between departments, helping teams align before coding even begins. But what exactly is this method? And how can your team start using it right away for better product quality and team cohesion?
This article explores the core ideas behind the 3 amigos agile process, how it differs from traditional collaboration methods, the roles involved, its real-world benefits, and why modern agile teams should consider it essential to their workflow.
Explore the full guide here:
https://testomat.io/blog/lcgprfuhn1-what-are-three-amigos-in-agile/
At its core, 3 amigos agile refers to a collaborative practice where three distinct roles—typically a business analyst or product owner (the "what"), a developer (the "how"), and a tester (the "validation")—meet before or during a sprint to discuss user stories. The term "amigos" doesn’t refer to specific job titles but rather to perspectives. It’s a lightweight but powerful method for driving shared understanding and minimizing ambiguity before implementation begins.
This technique often involves a collaborative discussion, ideally before the team picks up the user story. During the conversation, the trio examines the story’s goals, edge cases, and potential test scenarios. The end result is more robust documentation, better test coverage, and user stories that truly reflect what the business needs.
While the original idea may have emerged in agile circles, it has evolved into a key piece of Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) and specification workshops.
Most software teams today suffer from a problem that seems simple but causes significant damage: misalignment. Product owners may assume developers know the user intent. Developers may interpret vague requirements in their own way. Testers often receive stories late, forcing them to play catch-up. All of this leads to delays, frustration, and even rework.
Traditional workflows assume each role works in isolation and then hands off their output. But modern software isn’t a relay race—it’s a team sport. The 3 amigos agile method acknowledges that quality is everyone’s responsibility. It gets the right people in the same room early to talk about goals, acceptance criteria, and edge cases.
This early conversation uncovers misinterpretations before they become expensive. Even better, it creates a shared mental model across the team. When everyone is on the same page from the beginning, there's less need for clarification during implementation.
The term “3 amigos” doesn’t strictly refer to headcount but to perspectives. The most common breakdown includes:
Some teams even expand beyond the trio, including UX designers, DevOps, or other stakeholders. But the essential principle remains the same: gather the people who provide input, build the product, and verify the outcome.