Writing an Acceptance Criteria

As a product manager, writing acceptance criteria is an essential part of the product development process. Acceptance criteria are a set of predefined conditions that a product must meet in order to be considered complete and acceptable to stakeholders. In this article, we'll explore what acceptance criteria are, why they're important, and how to write effective acceptance criteria in product management.

What are Acceptance Criteria?

Acceptance criteria are the specific conditions that a product must meet in order to be considered acceptable to stakeholders. These criteria should be defined before the product development process begins and should be agreed upon by all relevant parties, including the product manager, development team, and stakeholders.

Acceptance criteria typically focus on the functionality of the product, but can also include other factors such as performance, usability, and design. For example, acceptance criteria for a mobile app might include requirements such as "the app must be able to load in under 3 seconds," "the app must allow users to log in using their Facebook or Google account," and "the app must have a clean and intuitive user interface."

Why are Acceptance Criteria Important?

Acceptance criteria are important for several reasons:

1. They ensure that everyone is on the same page: By defining acceptance criteria upfront, everyone involved in the product development process has a clear understanding of what needs to be achieved. This reduces the risk of misunderstandings and ensures that everyone is working towards the same goal.

2. They provide a clear standard for quality: Acceptance criteria set the bar for what is considered acceptable quality for the product. This helps to ensure that the final product meets the needs of stakeholders and is of high quality.

3. They help to manage expectations: Acceptance criteria help to manage the expectations of stakeholders by setting clear boundaries for what is and isn't included in the product. This reduces the risk of scope creep and ensures that stakeholders understand what they can expect from the final product.

4. They help to identify issues early on: Acceptance criteria provide a framework for testing and quality assurance, which can help to identify issues and bugs early in the development process. This reduces the risk of major issues arising later on and helps to ensure that the final product is of high quality.

How to Write Effective Acceptance Criteria in Product Management

Writing effective acceptance criteria is essential for ensuring that the product development process runs smoothly and that the final product meets the needs of stakeholders. Here are some tips for writing effective acceptance criteria in product management:

1. Involve all relevant parties: Acceptance criteria should be defined in collaboration with all relevant parties, including the product manager, development team, and stakeholders. This ensures that everyone has a say in what needs to be achieved and reduces the risk of misunderstandings or disagreements later on.

2. Be specific and measurable: Acceptance criteria should be specific and measurable, with clear definitions for what needs to be achieved. For example, instead of saying "the app should load quickly," a more specific and measurable acceptance criteria would be "the app should load in under 3 seconds."

3. Prioritize key features: It's important to prioritize the most important features of the product when defining acceptance criteria. This ensures that the most critical functionality is included in the final product and that less important features are not prioritized at the expense of key functionality.

4. Consider usability and user experience: Acceptance criteria should also consider the usability and user experience of the product. For example, acceptance criteria for a mobile app might include requirements such as "the app must have a clean and intuitive user interface" or "the app must be easy to use for people with limited technical skills."

5. Define testing and quality assurance procedures: Acceptance criteria should include clear procedures for testing and quality assurance. This ensures that the final product is thoroughly tested and meets the required quality standards.

6. Review

Hot Tip: I like using 'Cucumber language' to write my acceptance criteria which helps me clearly define what the expected outcome would be.

Creating AC's in Cucumber Language

Feature: Add Product to Shopping Cart   

As a customer   I want to add a product to my shopping cart   So that I can purchase it later    

Scenario: Add product to shopping cart     

Given I am on the product page     
When I click the "Add to Cart" button     
Then the product should be added to my shopping cart     
And the shopping cart icon should display the correct number of items

In this example, we're defining acceptance criteria for a feature that allows customers to add a product to their shopping cart. The acceptance criteria include several steps, written in Cucumber's Given-When-Then format:

• Given I am on the product page: This step defines the initial state of the system, which is that the user is on the product page.

• When I click the "Add to Cart" button: This step defines the action that the user takes, which is to click the "Add to Cart" button.

• Then the product should be added to my shopping cart: This step defines the expected result of the action, which is that the product should be added to the user's shopping cart.

• And the shopping cart icon should display the correct number of items: This step defines an additional expected result, which is that the shopping cart icon should display the correct number of items after the product is added to the cart.

By defining acceptance criteria in this format, we can ensure that everyone involved in the product development process has a clear understanding of what needs to be achieved and can test the product against specific requirements.

Cucumber language is a powerful tool for defining acceptance criteria and can be used to streamline the product development process and ensure that the final product meets the needs of stakeholders.