Acceptanskriterier

Acceptanskriterier (acceptance criteria) are a set of conditions that a product increment must satisfy to be accepted by stakeholders. They are used to clarify expectations for a feature described in a user story or requirement and to guide development and testing, ensuring a shared understanding of what “done” means.

They should be clear, concise, testable, verifiable, and traceable to the user need. They are usually written for each user story and may be expressed as Given-When-Then or as statements such as “The system shall …” or “The feature must …”. They cover both functional requirements and non-functional aspects, such as performance, reliability, accessibility, or security, to define the quality level expected for the feature.

Example: For a login feature, acceptance criteria could include: Given a user with valid credentials, When they enter the correct username and password, Then they are authenticated and redirected to the dashboard. Additional criteria might specify that the response time is under two seconds, the password must be at least eight characters, and an appropriate error message is shown for invalid credentials. Each criterion should be testable, allowing for objective verification during acceptance testing.

Process and usage: Acceptance criteria are typically defined by the product owner in collaboration with stakeholders and the development team. They serve as a basis for design and test cases, help manage scope, and reduce ambiguity and rework. While related to requirements, acceptance criteria operationalize them and should be reviewed and updated as needs evolve to maintain alignment among all parties.