Acceptance Criteria
Acceptance Criteria (AC) are the conditions that a user story must satisfy to be considered complete and acceptable by the business.
Acceptance criteria answer: “How do we know this story is done correctly?”
1. Definition
Acceptance Criteria (AC) are the conditions that a user story must satisfy to be considered complete and acceptable by the business.
Acceptance criteria answer: “How do we know this story is done correctly?”
2. Purpose of Acceptance Criteria
- Remove ambiguity from user stories
- Define clear expectations
- Enable objective validation
- Support acceptance testing
- Align development, testing, and business
3. Characteristics of Good Acceptance Criteria
- Clear and unambiguous
- Testable and measurable
- Business-focused
- Independent of implementation
- Complete but concise
4. Common Formats for Acceptance Criteria
4.1 Given–When–Then (BDD Style)
- Given some precondition
- When an action is performed
- Then an outcome is expected
Example:
- Given the user is logged in
- When the user clicks “Logout”
- Then the user is logged out successfully
4.2 Rule-Based / Bullet Points
- Password must be at least 8 characters
- Error message displayed for invalid input
5. Manual Tester’s Role
- Review acceptance criteria for testability
- Identify missing conditions
- Convert acceptance criteria into test scenarios
- Validate story completion against AC
6. Acceptance Criteria vs User Stories
| Aspect | User Story | Acceptance Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | What & why | Conditions of satisfaction |
| Level | High-level | Detailed |
| Ownership | Product/Business | Shared |
7. Acceptance Criteria vs Definition of Done
| Aspect | Acceptance Criteria | Definition of Done |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Story-specific | Sprint / product-wide |
| Focus | Feature behavior | Overall completeness |
8. Real-Time Example
Story: Reset Password
Acceptance Criteria:
- Valid email triggers reset link
- Invalid email shows error
- Reset link expires after 15 minutes
9. Common Mistakes
- Vague criteria (“should work”)
- Mixing design or implementation details
- Missing negative scenarios
- Overloading acceptance criteria
10. Interview-Ready Answers
Short answer:
Acceptance criteria define the conditions a user story must meet to be accepted.
Detailed answer:
Acceptance criteria provide clear, testable conditions that specify how a user story should behave to be considered complete and acceptable.
11. Key Takeaway
Acceptance Criteria are the bridge between business expectations and testing validation.