# Acceptance Test-Driven Development (ATDD) Standards

**Version**: 1.1.0
**Last Updated**: 2026-01-25
**Applicability**: All projects adopting Acceptance Test-Driven Development
**Scope**: universal
**Industry Standards**: None (2003-2006 practice)

---

## Summary

Acceptance Test-Driven Development (ATDD) is a traditional development methodology (2003-2006) that emphasizes collaborative acceptance criteria definition before development begins. The whole team (business, development, and testing) works together to define what "done" looks like through executable acceptance tests.

The core value of ATDD is the **Three Amigos** collaboration pattern where Customer/PO, Developer, and Tester jointly define acceptance criteria. ATDD is an optional collaboration method for defining acceptance criteria - teams can also gather requirements through interviews, PRDs, or stakeholder discussions and still achieve similar outcomes.

---

**Full Guide: [ATDD Guide](../methodologies/guides/atdd-guide.md)**

---

## Quick Reference

| Aspect | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| **Core Workflow** | Workshop → Distillation → Development → Demo → Done |
| **Key Value** | Three Amigos collaboration (PO + Dev + QA) |
| **Test Level** | System/Acceptance tests |
| **Participants** | Entire team + stakeholders |
| **Tools** | FitNesse, Cucumber, Robot Framework |

## Related Standards

- [Behavior-Driven Development](behavior-driven-development.md)
- [Test-Driven Development](test-driven-development.md)
- [Spec-Driven Development](spec-driven-development.md)
