Part of the Atarim Glossary

Acceptance Criteria

TLDR: Acceptance criteria are a set of conditions that a software product must meet in order to be accepted by the customer.

If you work in web design or development, you’ve probably heard of the term “acceptance criteria.” But what exactly is it?

Acceptance criteria are a set of conditions that a software product must meet in order to be accepted by the customer.

In other words, acceptance criteria are the standards that your product must meet in order to be considered complete.

Creating clear and concise acceptance criteria is essential to ensuring that your product meets the needs of your customer.

Defining Acceptance Criteria

Acceptance criteria are the standards that a software product must meet in order to be considered complete. In other words, they are the conditions that a product must meet in order to be accepted by the customer.

Creating clear and concise acceptance criteria is essential to ensuring that your product meets the needs of your customer. Without well-defined criteria, it can be difficult to determine whether a product is successful or not.

If you work in web design or development, it’s important to have a good understanding of acceptance criteria. By knowing what they are and how to create them, you can help ensure that your products meet the expectations of your customers.

Why is it important to have Acceptance Criteria?

Acceptance criteria are important because it sets the standards that your product must meet in order for it to be considered complete. Without acceptance criteria, it would be difficult to ensure that your product meets the needs of your customer. By creating clear and concise acceptance criteria, you can ensure that your product is up to par and meets all of the necessary requirements.

How can you create good Acceptance Criteria?

Creating clear and concise acceptance criteria is essential to ensuring that your product meets the needs of your customer. But what makes for good acceptance criteria?

First, you need to understand what your customer wants and needs. What are their goals and objectives? Once you know this, you can begin to develop criteria that will help them meet those goals.

Your criteria should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. In other words, they should be clear and attainable goals that will help your customer achieve their objectives.

Finally, make sure to involve your customer in the process. Get their feedback on your criteria and make sure they understand what is expected of them. 

What are some common issues that can occur when there are no formal Acceptance Criteria?

If there are no formal Acceptance Criteria in place, it can be difficult to determine when a product is complete. This can lead to frustration on the part of both the customer and the development team.

Without Acceptance Criteria, it may also be difficult to assess whether a product meets the needs of the customer. This can result in a product that is either over- or under-developed.

Creating clear and concise acceptance criteria is essential to avoiding these common issues. By doing so, you can ensure that your product meets the needs of your customer and is developed to their standards.

Wrapping it up

In conclusion, acceptance criteria are the conditions that a software product must meet in order to be accepted by the customer or client.

They are usually created by the development team in collaboration with the customer or client, and they help to ensure that the final product meets the customer’s needs.

If you’re looking for a tool to help you manage your acceptance criteria, be sure to check out Atarim’s visual collaboration tools.

Beth Livingston

Beth Livingston

After a 25+ year history as an IT business analyst, instructional designer, and project manager, Beth left the corporate world to become a full-time WordPress coach and designer and now enjoys providing real-life project management skills training for WordPress practitioners (designers, developers, consultants, project managers, and agencies). Beth is the creator of The WP Project Manager’s Academy, administers the WordPress Project Management Facebook group and serves as an organizer for the North Carolina Triad WordPress Meetup Group.