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Product Backlog

Within the product backlog, acceptance criteria can help to measure how complex and valuable a request is. Since the backlog is prioritized, this helps the Product Owner shift around requests as appropriate. If a certain acceptance criteria seems to be important, it likely has more value to the customer. This would increase the value of a request. If a request has a great number of acceptance criteria, it is likely more large and complex. This means that the request will likely take longer to finish and should be included in an early sprint.

Deliverables

Regarding deliverables, acceptance criteria indicate if a feature is ready to be shipped. At the end of a sprint, the Scrum team can look down the list and see what acceptance criteria have and have not been finished. If all of the criteria are met, the request is complete and can go to customers. If there are remaining acceptance criteria, the request isn’t done yet and needs more time before it is shipped. Additionally, it gives the Scrum team leverage to tell customers, “this is what you asked for.” They can then compare the acceptance criteria against working software and say, “this is what we gave you.”

Acceptance criteria are a valuable and necessary part of any software development. They hold all parties accountable for their responsibilities. They give customers a way to request exactly what they want, while still allowing the business to have a say in how the software is created.

Recommended Further Reading

The following materials may assist you in order to get the most out of this course:

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