When should acceptance criteria be written?

Acceptance criteria should be written at the same time as the business requirement because this ensures alignment between what the stakeholders expect and how the developers understand that expectation. By defining acceptance criteria concurrently with the business requirements, all parties involved have a clear and shared understanding of what success looks like for a given feature or user story. This practice helps to mitigate misunderstandings or miscommunications later in the development process, as both the team and stakeholders can reference the criteria to gauge whether the implementation meets the agreed-upon conditions.

Having clear acceptance criteria established early fosters a more efficient workflow during development, allowing the team to build features that meet the specific needs of users while ensuring that testing is based on these predefined standards. It also aids in facilitating discussions and reviews later in the process, providing a benchmark against which the completed work can be assessed. Thus, developing acceptance criteria in tandem with business requirements is essential for effective project management and successful outcomes.