Article · 9 min read

What is Acceptance Criteria? Definition, Examples, and Tips

Atlassian Free Beginner

Once you have described a feature, acceptance criteria is how you say what done means so you and the developer agree before work starts. The Given, When, Then format lets you spell out behavior in plain language a non technical founder can write and a developer can build against. This is how you avoid the it does not work the way I imagined conversation after delivery.

  • State what done looks like for each feature before work begins
  • Given When Then describes behavior in plain, testable language
  • Clear criteria prevent misread expectations after delivery
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It answers 2 questions

  1. How do I write a spec for a developer when I'm not technical?
  2. What's a fair way to structure a milestone-based contract with a dev agency?

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