acceptance-criteria

Acceptance Criteria

Navigation hub for writing measurable, test-ready acceptance criteria.

Use When

• "Write acceptance criteria for this feature."
• "Define done conditions for this story."
• "Create testable requirements before implementation."
• "Apply INVEST quality checks to this story."

When Not to Use

• Architecture decisions and system design tradeoffs.
• Deep technical specifications about implementation internals.

Workflow

1. Capture user outcome and business intent.
2. Select criteria format (Given/When/Then or rule-oriented).
3. Draft must-pass criteria with measurable outcomes.
4. Add negative and boundary scenarios.
5. Validate with checklist before sign-off.

Worked Example

Starting Point (Vague Requirement):

"Users should be able to reset their password easily."

Step 1: Capture Intent

• User outcome: User regains account access after forgetting password.
• Business intent: Reduce support tickets; maintain security.

Step 2: Select Format Choose Given/When/Then (Gherkin) for clarity.

Step 3: Draft Must-Pass Criteria

Given a user is on the login page
When they click "Forgot Password"
Then a password reset form appears within 1 second

Given a user enters a valid email in the reset form
When they click "Send Reset Link"
Then an email is sent within 30 seconds
And the email contains a clickable reset link valid for 24 hours

Given a user clicks the reset link from the email
When they enter a new password (min 8 chars, 1 uppercase, 1 number)
And click "Update Password"
Then the password is updated
And they are redirected to login within 2 seconds

Step 4: Add Negative & Boundary Scenarios

Given a user enters an unregistered email
When they click "Send Reset Link"
Then they see "Email not found" message (no account enumeration)

Given a user's reset link has expired (>24 hours old)
When they click the link
Then they see "Link expired, request a new one"

Given a user enters a weak password (e.g., "pass")
When they click "Update Password"
Then validation error appears: "Password must be 8+ chars with uppercase and number"