Complete firstSmall candidate story
User, goal, and value are understandable and scope can be bounded.
An epic cannot be clarified in a short criteria workshop.
Method guideAgile
Acceptance Criteria Workshop
A practical method guide: clarify prerequisites and materials, understand the complete process, and look up outputs, pitfalls, and stop criteria.
ComplexityLow
Time20-40 min pro Story
Participants3-6
FormatWorkshop
MaturityEstablished
01
Prerequisite
What needs to be finished first
Complete firstThree Amigos and domain authority
Product/Domain, Development, and Test are represented; open domain questions have a decision maker.
Without these perspectives, readiness is confused with guessing.
02
Preparation
What needs to be ready before start
Materials
Story card, four card colours for story/rule/example/question, timer, and backlog access.
People / roles
Product/domain · developer · tester · optional facilitator
Pre-read
Select one story, gather known rules and incidents, and invite the relevant Three Amigos.
Time needed
25–40 minutes per small story
Setup
Place story at top, rules below, concrete examples under each rule, and unanswered questions separately.
03
Core question
The one question this method answers
Which rules and examples must hold for this story to be accepted from a business perspective?
04
Flow
Phases with goal, actions, output and pitfall
The workshop uses a Three Amigos perspective and Example Mapping: story, rules, examples, and questions remain distinct. Acceptance criteria describe observable business behaviour rather than premature UI steps.
Acceptance Criteria Map
Fictional worked example
Keep story, rules, examples, questions, and readiness decision as distinct information types.
Story and value
Who wants to achieve what, why, and what is outside scope?
As a customer, I cancel an appointment online so I can plan without a phone call.
Acceptance rules
Which business rules and constraints apply?
Cancellation is free until and including 24 hours before start; later cancellation costs €20.
Concrete examples
Which typical, boundary, and negative cases illustrate each rule?
25h before: full refund. Exactly 24h: full refund. 23:59h: €20 fee.
Open questions
Which outcome is undecided, and who resolves it?
Which timezone applies to international appointments? Owner Product, due 18 June.
Readiness decision
Ready, rework, or defer? Which slices or follow-ups result?
Rework: resolve timezone and update criteria before implementation.
Questions are not acceptance criteria. They stay open until an authorised person makes the business decision.
- 1
Story
Frame story and value
Goal
Select a small story with audience, value, and clear scope boundary.
Inputs for this step
- Candidate story
- Product goal and user context
- Three Amigos
Actions
- Read the story and expected user value in one sentence.
- Mark in and out of scope.
- Slice before criteria work if the scope is too broad.
Output
Focused story
Who · goal · value · scope
Quality check
Can the group discuss the whole story in a short workshop?
Pitfall
A large epic is treated as a story and creates many unrelated rules. Slice along a business rule or user outcome.
Timing: 5 minutes
- 2
Rules
Expose acceptance rules
Goal
Name the business rules and constraints that govern the story.
Inputs for this step
- Focused story
- Domain knowledge
- Existing policies
Actions
- Write known rules as short statements.
- Separate rules from implementation ideas.
- Use many rules as evidence that the story needs slicing.
Output
Rule set
Story · rules · scope
Quality check
Does each rule describe business behaviour or a constraint?
Pitfall
Criteria are written as technical tasks or UI design decisions. Ask for the observable outcome and keep implementation decisions separate.
Timing: 5–10 minutes
- 3
Examples
Challenge rules with concrete cases
Goal
Explore happy path, boundaries, negative cases, and relevant exceptions.
Inputs for this step
- Rule set
- Real incidents and data
- Product, development, and test perspectives
Actions
- Write at least one concrete example for each unclear rule.
- Seek boundary values and counter-examples.
- Capture unknown outcomes as questions rather than invented examples.
Output
Example map
Rules · examples · questions
Quality check
Does every example have concrete input and expected outcome?
Pitfall
The group invents an expected result although a business decision is missing. Create a question with an owner and keep the example open until resolved.
Timing: 10–15 minutes
- 4
Decide
Make a readiness decision
Goal
Decide together whether the story is small and clear enough to implement.
Inputs for this step
- Example map
- Open questions
- Team readiness criteria
Actions
- Review questions by impact and owner.
- Slice when rules or examples reveal excessive scope.
- Decide ready, rework, or defer and transfer criteria to the work tool.
Output
Readiness decision
Status · questions · owners · sliced scope
Quality check
Do Product, Development, and Test share the acceptance understanding?
Pitfall
The timebox ending is treated as ready while core questions remain unanswered. Use an explicit readiness vote or rule and treat uncertainty as rework.
Timing: 5–10 minutes
05
Artifact
What comes out at the end
Sketch: what the artifact looks like
Form
Acceptance Criteria Map plus readiness status, question owners, and sliced follow-up stories.
Versioning / ownership
Retain date, author, source state, and decision status for each revision; do not overwrite earlier results.
Tool alternatives
- Physical or digital Example Map
- Backlog or story tool
- Question and decision log
acceptance-criteria-workshop-working-template.md
Plan Acceptance Criteria Workshop with real scope, suitable roles, and a clear decision objective.
Acceptance Criteria Workshop: Worksheet
Question
To be confirmed
Desired outcome
To be confirmed
Scope
Plan the full workshop Time: 25–40 minutes per small story
Complete this worksheet on paper or in your own document during the work.
Preparation for this scope
Method setup
- Materials: Story card, four card colours for story/rule/example/question, timer, and backlog access.
- Roles: Product/domain · developer · tester · optional facilitator
- Advance information: Select one story, gather known rules and incidents, and invite the relevant Three Amigos.
- Overall time needed: 25–40 minutes per small story
- Setup: Place story at top, rules below, concrete examples under each rule, and unanswered questions separately.
Prepare for the work steps
Story: Frame story and value
- Candidate story
- Product goal and user context
- Three Amigos
Rules: Expose acceptance rules
- Focused story
- Domain knowledge
- Existing policies
Examples: Challenge rules with concrete cases
- Rule set
- Real incidents and data
- Product, development, and test perspectives
Decide: Make a readiness decision
- Example map
- Open questions
- Team readiness criteria
Acceptance Criteria Map
Story and value
Who wants to achieve what, why, and what is outside scope?
...
Acceptance rules
Which business rules and constraints apply?
...
Concrete examples
Which typical, boundary, and negative cases illustrate each rule?
...
Open questions
Which outcome is undecided, and who resolves it?
...
Readiness decision
Ready, rework, or defer? Which slices or follow-ups result?
...
Complete story, rules, examples, questions, and decision separately.
Cucumber: Introducing Example Mapping
Story: Frame story and value
Expected artifact: Focused story
Who · goal · value · scope
Entry:
...
- Can the group discuss the whole story in a short workshop?
Rules: Expose acceptance rules
Expected artifact: Rule set
Story · rules · scope
Entry:
...
- Does each rule describe business behaviour or a constraint?
Examples: Challenge rules with concrete cases
Expected artifact: Example map
Rules · examples · questions
Entry:
...
- Does every example have concrete input and expected outcome?
Decide: Make a readiness decision
Expected artifact: Readiness decision
Status · questions · owners · sliced scope
Entry:
...
- Do Product, Development, and Test share the acceptance understanding?
Open questions and next steps
...
Method guide: https://methodatlas.meierhoff-systems.de/en/methods/acceptance-criteria-workshop/run-sheet
06
Example output
Concrete filled scenario, fictional example
Fictional example for orientation. Counts and timings describe this case and are not universal requirements.
acceptance-criteria-workshop-beispiel.md
Concrete filled scenario, fictional example
Fictional story: 'As a customer I cancel an appointment online.' Rule: free cancellation until and including 24 hours before start. Examples: 25 hours before full refund; exactly 24 hours full refund; 23:59 hours before €20 fee. Open question: timezone for international appointments. Decision: not ready until timezone is resolved.
07
Pitfalls
Recognize symptoms and steer against them
Quick overview, the full text is in the matching phase in the flow
- Frame story and valueA large epic is treated as a story and creates many unrelated rules.View in phase
- Expose acceptance rulesCriteria are written as technical tasks or UI design decisions.View in phase
- Challenge rules with concrete casesThe group invents an expected result although a business decision is missing.View in phase
- Make a readiness decisionThe timebox ending is treated as ready while core questions remain unanswered.View in phase
Trap
Frame story and value
Symptom
A large epic is treated as a story and creates many unrelated rules.
What to do
Slice along a business rule or user outcome.
Trap
Expose acceptance rules
Symptom
Criteria are written as technical tasks or UI design decisions.
What to do
Ask for the observable outcome and keep implementation decisions separate.
Trap
Challenge rules with concrete cases
Symptom
The group invents an expected result although a business decision is missing.
What to do
Create a question with an owner and keep the example open until resolved.
Trap
Make a readiness decision
Symptom
The timebox ending is treated as ready while core questions remain unanswered.
What to do
Use an explicit readiness vote or rule and treat uncertainty as rework.
08
Stop criteria
When to pause, resolve prerequisites, or choose another approach
Every entry follows the method and links to evidence or explicitly marked uncertainty.
The next decision, owner, and review date are visible where required.
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