deliverablecriteria

Deliverable criteria are the explicit conditions, standards, and measures used to determine whether a project deliverable is complete and acceptable to stakeholders. They are established during project planning and are often documented as acceptance criteria, quality criteria, or part of the project’s definition of done.

Typically, deliverable criteria cover aspects such as scope, quality, performance, reliability, regulatory compliance, documentation, packaging, and delivery. They should be specific, measurable, and verifiable, often aligned with SMART principles. Criteria are designed to be testable or demonstrable, so that objective acceptance testing or formal reviews can confirm whether a deliverable meets the required standards.

In practice, teams define deliverable criteria with input from sponsors, customers, and project governance. They guide development, testing, and reviews, and they provide a basis for formal sign-off and contract compliance. Clear criteria help control scope, reduce ambiguity, and facilitate traceability from original requirements to final acceptance. They are revisited as needed when changes occur to the project scope or requirements.

Deliverable criteria are closely related to acceptance criteria and the definition of done. In agile contexts, they appear as acceptance criteria for user stories or features; in more traditional projects, they appear in requirements specifications and sign-off documents. An example would be a software deliverable that must pass all automated tests, meet performance targets, include user documentation, and receive stakeholder approval before release.