What Are Acceptance Criteria – Why They Matter and How to Nail Them?
You know that moment when a user story looks done — but your tester disagrees, and your Product Owner isn’t sure either?
That’s where Acceptance Criteria step in to save the day. If you’ve ever worked on a software or product team, you’ve probably heard about Acceptance Criteria — those little gems that decide whether a user story is truly “done” or still stuck in the “almost there” zone.
But what exactly are they, why do they matter, and how do you write good ones?
What are Acceptance Criteria and who writes them?
In simple terms, Acceptance Criteria (AC) are the conditions by which the Product Owner checks if a feature works as expected. More precisely, they’re a set of clear, specific conditions that a user story or feature must meet to be considered complete and accepted.
Think of them as your “checklist for success” — they tell you what needs to work, look like, or behave before you can say, “Yep, that’s done!”
Usually, the Product Owner writes them, often together with input from the team — developers, testers, and designers — to ensure they’re practical and testable.
Ideally, you should define acceptance criteria before development starts, at the latest when the user story is ready for sprint planning. That way, the team always builds with clarity and confidence.
Why Are Acceptance Criteria Important?
Acceptance Criteria aren’t just paperwork — they’re the glue that holds your team’s understanding together.
Clarity
Everyone understands what “done” really means — no guesswork, no endless debates.
Quality
They guide developers and testers to build exactly what’s needed.
Focus
They keep the team aligned with customer needs and expectations.
Smooth Delivery
Help avoid surprises late in the sprint or release.
Better Estimation
Clear criteria make it easier to estimate effort and complexity.
In short — they keep your Agile process agile.
Characteristics of Good Acceptance Criteria
Good ACs are like good communication: short, clear, and to the point. ACs should be:
- Clear and concise: No room for confusion or interpretation.
- Testable: You should be able to verify it with a yes/no answer.
- Relevant: Directly tied to the value that the user story brings to a user.
- Measurable: Describes a behavior or outcome you can check.
- Understandable: Written in simple language that everyone gets.
Common Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them)
Even experienced teams fall into these traps — here’s how to dodge them.
| Too vague “The user can simply reset their password.” How do you test if it’s “simple”? | Better “When a user clicks on the ‘Reset your password’ link, their old password is invalidated and a new one is created.” |
| Too many criteria Overloading one story with a laundry list of items leads to confusion. | Better Break complex stories into smaller ones with focused criteria. |
| Writing criteria too late Waiting until development is done means you’re guessing or fixing on the fly. | Better: Define criteria during story refinement or sprint planning. |
| Only technical criteria Ignoring the user perspective makes the story lose its value focus. | Better Include criteria that reflect user needs and business goals. |
Example of Acceptance Criteria
User story: As a user, when I forget my login password, I want to be able to reset it so that I can regain access to my account.
Acceptance Criteria:
- When a user inserts the wrong password and cannot insert the correct one, they can initiate the password reset process by clicking on a “Reset your password” link.
- When a user clicks on the “Reset your password” link, they receive a password reset email within 5 minutes of the request.
- The user cannot initiate another reset email within 5 minutes of the initial request.
- The password reset link expires after 24 hours.
- The reset link in the email takes the user to the reset page to insert a new password.
- The new password must be at least 8 characters long and contain a number.
- After resetting, the user can log in with the new password immediately.
Bottom Line
Acceptance Criteria are your best friends in Agile delivery. They keep everyone on the same page, boost quality, and ensure you’re building what people actually want.
If you want to say goodbye to vague stories and to learn how to write crystal-clear, testable, and user-focused criteria, we can help you. Contact us when you’re ready.