How do you define and measure acceptance criteria for user stories?

1 What are acceptance criteria?

Acceptance criteria are the specific and measurable requirements that a user story must satisfy to be accepted by the customer or user. They define the scope, functionality, quality, and performance of a user story, and provide a common understanding of what done means for the development team and the stakeholders. Acceptance criteria also serve as the basis for testing and validation, as they describe the expected outcomes and behaviors of a user story.

2 How to define acceptance criteria?

When defining acceptance criteria, there are various formats and methods to consider. However, some common principles and best practices should be kept in mind. Firstly, it's important to write acceptance criteria from the user's perspective, using simple and consistent language. Additionally, the Given-When-Then format should be used to structure acceptance criteria as scenarios or examples; here, Given describes the preconditions, When describes the actions, and Then describes the results. Furthermore, both functional and non-functional criteria should be included, such as usability, security, performance, and compatibility. It is also important to avoid ambiguity, vagueness, and assumptions by using precise and verifiable terms. Additionally, acceptance criteria should be aligned with the user story's goal and value proposition while avoiding adding unnecessary details or features. Lastly, collaboration between the development team, customer, and users is essential to elicit, refine, and prioritize acceptance criteria.

3 How to measure acceptance criteria?

Acceptance criteria can be measured by testing and verifying if a user story meets them. This testing can be manual or automated, depending on the complexity of the criteria. Common methods of measuring acceptance criteria include test cases which are specific steps and inputs used to execute and evaluate a user story, acceptance tests which are tests that verify the story from the user's perspective, and definition of done, which is a checklist of criteria that must be met for a user story to be considered done and ready for delivery. These tools and techniques help ensure consistency and transparency across user stories and iterations.

4 Why are acceptance criteria important?

Acceptance criteria are important for a number of reasons, such as providing clarity and direction for the development team, facilitating communication and collaboration among stakeholders, enabling feedback and validation, and ensuring quality and value. Specifically, acceptance criteria define what needs to be built and how it should work, establish a common language and expectations, allow for the testing and review of user story outcomes and behaviors, and verify whether the user story meets user needs and expectations.