Acceptance Criteria

Acceptance criteria are crucial for ensuring that a user story or feature is well-defined and meets the desired outcomes. Good acceptance criteria provide clarity to both the development team and stakeholders about what is expected. Here's how to write good acceptance criteria:

1. Start with "Given," "When," and "Then": Structuring acceptance criteria using the "Given, When, Then" format helps make them clear and concise.

   • Given: Describe the initial context or precondition.

   • When: Explain the action or event that triggers the behavior.

   • Then: State the expected outcome or result.

2. Be specific: Avoid vague or ambiguous language. Use concrete terms and numbers whenever possible. Ambiguity can lead to misunderstandings and issues during development.

3. Use clear language: Write acceptance criteria in plain, understandable language that both technical and non-technical team members can comprehend.

4. Focus on functionality: Acceptance criteria should describe the functional aspects of the feature. They should specify what the user can do, how it should behave, and what it should look like.

5. Keep it testable: Ensure that the acceptance criteria are testable and verifiable. They should provide a basis for creating test cases to validate the functionality.

6. Make it independent: Acceptance criteria should be independent of implementation details. They should describe what needs to be achieved, not how to achieve it.

7. Include edge cases: Cover various scenarios, including edge cases, to ensure the feature works correctly under different conditions.

8. Consider performance and non-functional requirements: If there are specific performance, security, or non-functional requirements, include them in the acceptance criteria.

9. Avoid assumptions: Don't assume that the development team knows everything. State requirements explicitly, even if they seem obvious.

10. Prioritize and categorize: If there are multiple acceptance criteria, consider categorizing them as "must-have," "nice-to-have," or "stretch goals" to indicate their importance.

11. Review and refine: Collaborate with the development team, product owner, and other stakeholders to review and refine the acceptance criteria. Continuous feedback and refinement are essential.

12. Use examples: Whenever possible, include examples or sample data to illustrate how the feature should work. This can clarify expectations.

13. Include acceptance criteria in the user story: Ensure that the acceptance criteria are directly linked to the user story they belong to. This helps maintain traceability and context.

Here's an example of well-written acceptance criteria for a user story:

User Story: As a registered user, I want to be able to reset my password so that I can regain access to my account if I forget my password.

Acceptance Criteria:

1. Given I am on the login page, When I click on the "Forgot Password" link, Then I should be directed to a password reset page.

2. Given I am on the password reset page, When I enter my registered email address and click the "Reset Password" button, Then I should receive an email with a password reset link.

3. Given I received the password reset email, When I click the reset link in the email, Then I should be able to create a new password.

4. Given I have successfully reset my password, When I try to log in with the new password, Then I should be able to access my account.

Following these guidelines when writing acceptance criteria helps ensure that everyone involved in the project has a clear understanding of what needs to be delivered and how it should work. This, in turn, leads to better communication, reduced ambiguity, and a higher likelihood of successful implementation.