Acceptance Criteria

Why Acceptance Criteria are Important

Acceptance Criteria play a crucial role in product management by:

1. Providing clarity and alignment among team members
2. Reducing misunderstandings and scope creep
3. Facilitating accurate estimation and planning
4. Ensuring quality and meeting user expectations

How to Write Effective Acceptance Criteria

To create impactful Acceptance Criteria:

1. Use clear, concise language
2. Make them testable and measurable
3. Focus on the user's perspective
4. Collaborate with stakeholders and developers
5. Keep them specific to the feature or user story

Examples of Acceptance Criteria

Here are some examples of well-written Acceptance Criteria:

1. User Registration:

   • Users can create an account using their email address
   • Passwords must be at least 8 characters long
   • Users receive a confirmation email after successful registration

2. Search Functionality:

   • Users can search by keyword, category, or date range
   • Search results display within 2 seconds
   • Results are sorted by relevance by default

Frequently Asked Questions

• What's the difference between Acceptance Criteria and User Stories?: User Stories describe a feature from the user's perspective, while Acceptance Criteria define the specific conditions that must be met for the story to be considered complete.

• How many Acceptance Criteria should a User Story have?: Typically, a User Story should have 3-5 Acceptance Criteria, but this can vary depending on the complexity of the feature.

• Can Acceptance Criteria change during development?: While it's best to finalize Acceptance Criteria before development begins, they can be adjusted if new information comes to light, but this should be done carefully to avoid scope creep.

• Who is responsible for writing Acceptance Criteria?: Usually, the Product Owner or Product Manager writes the initial Acceptance Criteria, but they should be refined collaboratively with the development team and stakeholders.