Acceptance criteria

Definition

Acceptance criteria are the predefined conditions or requirements that a product, feature, or deliverable must meet to be accepted by a client, stakeholder, or end user. They describe the scope, boundaries, and expectations of a task in clear and testable terms. Acceptance criteria are commonly used in agile software development, project management, and quality assurance.

For example, a user story for an e-commerce checkout system may include acceptance criteria that the system must allow payment with credit cards, generate a receipt, and send a confirmation email within one minute of purchase.

Advanced

Acceptance criteria serve as a bridge between business requirements and technical implementation. They help teams avoid ambiguity by providing objective, measurable outcomes that define when work is complete. In agile environments, acceptance criteria are often written in the Given-When-Then format used in Behavior Driven Development, making them easy to validate through automated testing.

Advanced practices include creating acceptance criteria collaboratively with stakeholders, integrating them into automated test scripts, and using them to align sprint goals with user needs. Well-structured criteria also help prioritise features, manage scope creep, and reduce rework. They become part of the definition of done and ensure consistency across cross-functional teams.

Why it matters

• Provides clear expectations for project deliverables.
• Reduces misunderstandings between stakeholders and development teams.
• Ensures quality by setting measurable standards for acceptance.
• Supports efficient testing and validation processes.

Use cases

• Defining requirements for new features in agile sprints.
• Testing compliance of software functionality against business needs.
• Validating project deliverables before client approval.
• Aligning developers, testers, and product owners on shared goals.

Metrics

• Percentage of user stories with defined acceptance criteria.
• Pass or fail rates during acceptance testing.
• Number of defects identified after acceptance criteria are met.
• Rework rates caused by unclear or incomplete criteria.

Issues

• Ambiguous or poorly defined criteria leading to misinterpretation.
• Inconsistent use of acceptance criteria across teams.
• Overly detailed criteria limiting flexibility and innovation.
• Delays in delivery if criteria are added late in the process.

Example

A fintech company develops a mobile app feature for two-factor authentication. Acceptance criteria specify that users must receive a code via SMS within 30 seconds, codes must expire after 5 minutes, and login should fail if the code is incorrect. Testing confirms these conditions are met, and the feature is approved for release.