Glossary · Requirements and interfaces
Acceptance criterion
In systems engineering, an acceptance criterion is a condition used to determine whether a result is acceptable for its intended stakeholder or use. It expresses what the stakeholder will accept, which may go beyond fulfilling a single requirement.
- Verification
- Systems engineering
In one sentence
An acceptance criterion states when a result is acceptable for its stakeholder or use; it complements, not replaces, verification criteria.
Example
For a new palletizing cell, the operator's acceptance criterion is that a shift crew can clear a jam in under five minutes using the operating manual, without bypassing any guard.
How it applies
- Requirements: Derive acceptance criteria from stakeholder requirements. State them before testing, not after.
- Evidence: Acceptance tests typically support validation: they show that the result fits the intended use.
- Machine safety: An acceptance criterion never lowers a safety requirement. A customer accepting a result does not make a hazard acceptable.
- Technical documentation: Acceptance of documentation can be criteria-based too, for example usability tests of instructions with representative users.
Acceptance criterion vs. verification criterion
A verification criterion is measurable and checks whether a specific requirement is fulfilled. An acceptance criterion checks whether the result is acceptable for the stakeholder and use. A system can meet every verification criterion and still fail acceptance.