Acceptance Criteria

Acceptance criteria are predefined conditions or requirements that a user story or feature must meet to be considered complete and acceptable by the product owner, stakeholders, or end-users. They define what is needed for a user story to be done, ensuring that the development team understands the requirements and can verify if they have been fulfilled. Acceptance criteria are critical for quality assurance, providing a clear basis for testing and validation.

Key Characteristics of Acceptance Criteria

1. Clear and Concise: They should be straightforward, unambiguous, and easily understandable by all stakeholders.
2. Measurable and Testable: Acceptance criteria must be specific enough for objective testing and verification.
3. Relevant: They should be directly related to the functionality described in the user story and reflect the user’s needs and expectations.
4. Achievable: The criteria should be realistic and feasible within the project’s and the sprint’s constraints.

Enhancing User Stories with Acceptance Criteria

Each user story should be accompanied by acceptance criteria, which provide detailed conditions that must be met for the story to be considered complete. This ensures clarity and testability.

Examples of Acceptance Criteria

Example 1: User Login Feature

User Story: As a registered user, I want to log in to the website to access my dashboard.

Acceptance Criteria:

1. The login page allows users to enter their email and password.
2. Users must be able to click a “Login” button to submit their credentials.
3. The system must validate the entered email and password against the stored user data.
4. An error message should be displayed if the email or password is incorrect.
5. Upon successful Login, the user should be redirected to their dashboard.
6. The session should remain active for a specified duration unless the user logs out.

Given-When-Then

Acceptance criteria using “Given-When-Then” statements follow the Behavior-Driven Development (BDD) format. Here’s how you can structure them:

Format:

• Given: The initial context or setup.
• When: The action or event that triggers the functionality.
• Then: The expected outcome or result.

Example:

Let’s say you have a user story for a login feature: “As a user, I want to log in to access my account.”

Example of GIVEN-WHEN-THEN Acceptance Criteria:

1. Successful Login
   • Given: A registered user on the login page
   • When: The user enters valid credentials and clicks the “Login” button
   • Then: The user is redirected to the dashboard
2. Unsuccessful Login due to Incorrect Password
   • Given: A registered user on the login page
   • When: The user enters an incorrect password and clicks the “Login” button
   • Then: An error message “Invalid password” is displayed
3. Unsuccessful Login due to Unregistered User
   • Given: An unregistered user on the login page
   • When: The user enters credentials and clicks the “Login” button
   • Then: An error message “User not found” is displayed

Purpose:

• Clarity: Clearly define conditions for acceptance.
• Consistency: Provide a structured format for all team members.
• Testability: Facilitate automated testing and validation.

The “Given-When-Then” format ensures that acceptance criteria are precise, actionable, and verifiable.

Writing Effective Acceptance Criteria

1. Use Simple Language: Avoid technical jargon and write in plain language that is easy to understand.
2. Be Specific: Clearly define what needs to be done, leaving no room for ambiguity.
3. Include Edge Cases: Consider and include edge cases or exceptions that might affect the functionality.
4. Involve Stakeholders: Collaborate with stakeholders, including the product owner and end-users, to ensure the criteria accurately reflect their needs.
5. Review and Refine: Regularly review and refine acceptance criteria as more information becomes available or requirements evolve.