What does "acceptance criteria" mean in programming?
acceptance criteria is one of the most common terms in software development. This guide explains what it means, how it is used in practice, and why it matters, with real examples from the developer world.
Definition
Specific, testable conditions that a feature or user story must meet to be considered done. Written before development starts, in collaboration between product and engineering. Used by QA and product owners to verify the implementation is correct.
Example
"Acceptance criteria: the form must validate on submit and display inline errors — the current alert dialog does not satisfy this."
Related terms
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