Inspect and Adapt #63 Acceptance Criteria
4 snips
Jan 6, 2026 
Join Earl Beattie, a Senior Fellow at Construx with expertise in software requirements, and Steve Tockey, a Principal Consultant, as they delve into the nuances of acceptance criteria. They debate the differences between user stories and precise requirements and highlight the significance of acceptance criteria in ensuring project clarity. Earl discusses using ISO 25010 for quality attributes, while Steve emphasizes economic impacts of non-functional requirements. Their insightful conversation reveals how to craft effective criteria for better project outcomes.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Acceptance Criteria Define How, Not What
- Acceptance criteria define how you judge that a story's function was done acceptably, not which functions to build.
- They focus on attributes like correctness, speed, and usability rather than listing features.
User Stories Mirror WBS Items
- Product backlog items are the agile equivalent of WBS work items and are not full requirements.
- Functional requirements must be unambiguous, testable, and binding to be true requirements.
Use ISO 25010 To Find Quality Criteria
- Use ISO 25010 as a checklist to surface quality-of-service acceptance criteria.
- Identify which quality attributes matter for this change so you don't list every possible criterion.
