Acceptance Criteria

5 minutes 5 Questions

Acceptance criteria are the conditions that a software product must satisfy to be accepted by a user, a customer, or in the case of system level functionality, the consuming system. They are unique to each User Story and define the boundaries or scope of the story. Without it, a story can be interp…

Guide for Acceptance Criteria in User Stories for PMI-ACP Exam

Acceptance Criteria is a key concept for PMI-ACP candidates.
What is Acceptance Criteria: It is a set of conditions that a software product must meet to be accepted by a user, customer or other stakeholders. Acceptance Criteria are used to describe the specific requirements, functionality, or behavior that must be satisfactorily met in the final product.
Importance of Acceptance Criteria: It is crucial because it helps the team understand the user's expectations and establish a clear definition of 'done'. The criteria keep everyone focused and aligned, eliminating misunderstandings that can affect the overall quality and delivery of the project.
How it works: The Acceptance Criteria are created by the product owner, with input from the team, and should be defined before work begins on the User Story. They describe the desired outcome rather than the functionality or the process of arriving at it. During the sprint, the team uses these accepted conditions to verify that a User Story has been completed successfully.
Exam Tips - Answering Questions on Acceptance Criteria: For the PMI-ACP exam, understand the role of Acceptance Criteria within Agile and User Stories. Focus on their importance for defining 'done', their place in iterative development, and communication within the team. Remember to think from a practical perspective - the PMI-ACP exam contains situational questions requiring judgement. Keep the concept of user value central and consider the impact on the final product when answering these questions.

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PMI-ACP - Acceptance Criteria Example Questions

Test your knowledge of Acceptance Criteria

Question 1

In an online project management tool, a feature request is received stating that users should be able to assign tasks to teams. How would you write the acceptance criteria?

The user should be able to select a task, select a team, and assign the selected task to the selected team. The system should then show the selected task as assigned to the selected team. The user selects a task and assigns it to a team. The user can assign tasks to any team they have created. The user should be able to view tasks, view teams and assign tasks to teams.

Correct Answer: The user should be able to select a task, select a team, and assign the selected task to the selected team. The system should then show the selected task as assigned to the selected team.

The acceptance criteria for this feature should detail the entire process a user undergoes to assign a task to a team in the online project management tool. Hence, the answer 'The user should be able to select a task, select a team, and assign the selected task to the selected team. The system should then show the selected task as assigned to the selected team.' is the most accurate. It covers all necessary steps, which include selecting a task, selecting a team and assigning the task to the team, and then displaying the task as assigned on the system. This will help ensure the feature is developed in a way that meets the users' requirements. The other explanations are not incorrect per se, but they fail to fully express all the necessary steps and end states that need to be achieved.

Question 2

For a social networking site, a feature request states that profiles should be able to upload a profile picture. Which of the following is the best acceptance criteria?

The user should be able to upload a JPEG or PNG image file from their device as a profile picture with a maximum size of 3MB, and should see the uploaded picture as their profile picture. The user uploads an image, and it becomes their profile picture. The user should be able to select any image from their device as a profile picture. The user should upload an image, and then the picture becomes visible on their profile page.

Correct Answer: The user should be able to upload a JPEG or PNG image file from their device as a profile picture with a maximum size of 3MB, and should see the uploaded picture as their profile picture.

The first answer is the best acceptance criteria for this feature request because it provides clear, specific details about how the feature should function. It specifies the file types (JPEG or PNG), the source of the file (the user's device), the maximum file size (3MB), and the end result (the uploaded picture becomes the user's profile picture). The other answers either lack specifics or do not cover all necessary aspects. For instance, the second answer is too vague as it does not mention any file-type or size restriction. The third answer only talks about visibility of the picture without specifying the requirements for the image file. The last answer does not specify what will happen after the image is selected, nor about any file restrictions.

Question 3

Your team is tasked with developing a user login system for a new online service. What would be the correct acceptance criteria for this system?

The user enters a username and password and gains access to the site. The user should be able to enter a username and a password, and if the username and password match the stored details, the user should be logged into their account. The user can enter their details and log in. The user logs in with a username and password.

Correct Answer: The user should be able to enter a username and a password, and if the username and password match the stored details, the user should be logged into their account.

The best answer is 'The user should be able to enter a username and a password, and if the username and password match the stored details, the user should be logged into their account.' This is the most complete answer because it covers all the necessary functionality that a login system needs. It clearly specifies that a user should be able to enter both username and password. After the entry, the system should match these with the stored details. Only after successfully matching, the user can log into their account. This is what an acceptance criteria should be precise and clear. The other answers are too vague and do not cover the complete functionality, hence they are not correct. 'The user can enter their details and log in.' does not specify what kind of details and lacks the system's expected behavior. 'The user enters a username and password and gains access to the site.' lacks the clarity about system's operation. 'The user logs in with a username and password.' is just stating an action without specifying the process involved which is not acceptable for an acceptance criteria.

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