Acceptance Criteria

Defines when a user story or feature is considered complete and accepted.

Product Management
IH InterviewHood
Definition

Acceptance criteria are a set of conditions that define when a product increment is finished and meets stakeholder expectations. They provide a clear, testable checklist for evaluating success.

Definition

Acceptance criteria are a set of conditions that define when a product increment is finished and meets stakeholder expectations. They provide a clear, testable checklist for evaluating success.

Acceptance Criteria are predefined requirements or conditions that must be met for a user story, feature, or product increment to be considered complete and acceptable by stakeholders or the product owner.

These criteria ensure alignment between business goals and development work, reduce ambiguity, and act as the foundation for test cases. They describe what needs to be true — not how it should be done.

Well-written acceptance criteria promote shared understanding, guide development, and help teams deliver value consistently. They are essential for managing expectations and validating outcomes in agile product development.

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