Acceptance criteria define the conditions that a work product, requirement, user story, or backlog item must meet before stakeholders accept it.
They describe the expected result in clear and testable terms. Therefore, they help stakeholders, developers, and testers share the same understanding.
Good acceptance criteria use measurable targets. For example, they may define response times, percentages, access rights, or pass-or-fail conditions. In contrast, vague terms such as fast, simple, or user-friendly do not provide a reliable basis for testing.
Acceptance criteria can cover functional behaviour and quality requirements. Moreover, teams can write them as short statements or in a Given-When-Then format.
Acceptance criteria apply to a specific requirement or backlog item. In contrast, the Definition of Done defines general completion rules for the team.
As a result, acceptance criteria support development, testing, and the succesful development.
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