Acceptance and Evaluation Criteria

Definition

Acceptance and Evaluation Criteria define the specific, measurable conditions a requirement, solution, or deliverable must satisfy to be considered complete and acceptable to stakeholders. They translate a requirement's intent into testable, unambiguous conditions of satisfaction.

Inputs

• A defined requirement, user story, or deliverable needing clear completion conditions
• Stakeholder input on what "done" and "acceptable" mean for that specific item

Outputs

• A set of clear, testable conditions (often in Given/When/Then or checklist format) that determine whether the requirement has been met
• A shared basis for validation, testing, and stakeholder sign-off

When to Use

• Every requirement or user story intended for development, to prevent ambiguity about what "complete" means
• Validating a delivered solution against original stakeholder intent before acceptance
• Reducing rework by surfacing misunderstandings before development begins, not after delivery

When Not to Use

• Purely exploratory or research spikes with no defined deliverable to accept
• Requirements so simple and unambiguous that formal criteria add no clarity beyond the requirement statement itself